Staff at the Dutch outlets of Irish retail chain Primark frequently feel ‘intimidated when calling in sick, belittled and continually controlled by supervisors, managers and camera surveillance’, according to a survey by trade union FNV.

Some 1,186 of the 4,800 Primark staff participated in the online survey and the results have prompted the union to initiate talks with Primark to improve working conditions.

The majority of complaints referred to work pressure. ‘You are constantly told to work harder or do better by managers and supervisors. If you are somewhere else or talking to someone for five minutes they yell at you or threaten you with a written warning,’ one of the respondents said.

Staff also said they were worried about the use of surveillance cameras. ‘They check what time you come in, how often you use the toilet, what time you’re clocking off. They check how long are you chatting to colleagues. (..) When the time comes to talk about your contract this material is used so they can pick out all the negatives and use them not to extend it.’

Primark does not yet have a works council to represent staff, something which required by law if a company has more than 50 workers.

Disposable

The FNV says retail staff are becoming a ‘disposable commodity’ in general. Online shopping is causing many high street shops to close so shops can pick and choose staff and temporary contracts have become the norm. ‘After two years of temporary contracts one load of personnel is exchanged for another,’ FNV official Niels Suiker told the paper.

In order to survive businesses are selling ever cheaper products. One of the ways to be able to do that is cutting back on staff costs. ‘Staff is no longer seen as added value,’ Suiker said.

A spokesman for Primark told the Parool that the company was shocked by the complaints and has begun the process of setting up a works council. The company has also accepted the union’s invitation to talks, he said.