Can an employer really do this?

[purepurple]

Bit of background
DS (21) has been on a government funded job creation scheme with a local company because he was unemployed.
The company are paid by the government to take on youngsters and give them a 6 month contract.
The job entails working on the beach at a windsport centre.
DS says there is not much work to do atm (no surprise, it is winter). The bosses have decided to get everyone to do a 2 mile run first thing to 'get them fit'.
Ds did it yesterday, but today it was chucking it down, so he and most of the others refused. So they all got sent home without pay.
Is this even legal? I find it quite demeaning actually, it's like they are just using them for their own personal amusement.

Maybe.

If your an office worker I wouldn't expect management to ask you to do a 2 miles run for shits and giggles.

If you're a life guard then I'd expect if forms part of the job to keep fit and jog regularly.

What is he actually doing?

As an aside he's on a job creation scheme. Maybe is he just sucked it up for a bit and towed the company line no matter how "demeaning" it is he wouldn't be unemployed. Maybe they just wanted to see who really wanted to be there.

My first job was cleaning cow shit out of the drains at an abattoir. Doesn't mean I liked it but lead to better things.

If it's a sports job, then I expect they can do it, just like other jobs can expect you to train for the skills that are needed. Getting fit is hardly "demeaning", and I doubt the manager was doing it for fun or out of spite. He/she probably has this weird idea that they should be doing something useful with their time there. Did they just expect to sit round chatting for the day?

People who work for the police and army have to go on runs and keep fit as part of their jobs and it isn't considered demeaning and is perfectly legal.

So, they refused to do what the bosses asked them? Maybe that's a clue as to why they were unemployed.

I'm guesing your DS is doing Future Jobs Fund. As it's actual employment for six months, with a wage, he will have a clear job description. If a daily two mile run is not part of that, then they are being unreasonable IMHO.

If it is FJF, they should also be providing 3 hours of relevant training and jobsearch per week, so this could come under 'training'

Want to PM me?

I run one of these schemes.

Thanks ht, have PMed you.
The thing is he has been sucking it up for nearly 6 months. If they wanted the workforce to stay fit, then they should ahve introduced the fitness runs at the beginning and not at the end, surely?
I hear what you are all saying about it being part of thr job and normally it would be me telling him to stop complaining and wind his neck in. This just feels different, somehow.