The TUC has launched a campaign to find Britain’s meanest, most Scrooge-like boss this Christmas.
The union body has called on employees to grass up bosses who act like latter day Ebenezer Scrooge’s as part of its drive to improve the way workers are managed and the conditions they work under.
Common complaints in the run-up to Christmas include bosses making staff work on Christmas bank holidays or face losing pay and those who count Christmas holidays as part of their annual leave.
Other gripes include keeping the office freezing cold to save on energy bills, only deciding on Christmas leave arrangements at the last minute and banning workplace relationships that start at the Christmas party.
Not allowing parents time off to go to nativity plays also raises hackles with many workers, as does not allowing Christmas decorations at work.
Other complaints include not paying the minimum wage for temporary Christmas jobs, making people work late over Christmas and cancelling Christmas parties on safety or compensation grounds, said the TUC.
The best (and worst) stories will be featured on the website workSMART.org.uk, with a hamper awarded for the best story of petty stinginess, it added. It urged workers to share their stories at www.worksmart.org.uk/scrooge.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “A minority of stingy employers have lost the Christmas spirit - some even break the law or use mean and petty loopholes to cut costs, at the expense of peace and goodwill at work.
“We know that modern-day Scrooges are out there, and we want to shame them into ditching the ‘humbug’,” he added.
My son's employer has laid his workers off 22nd 23rd & 24th - no wages and told them work is so bad he doesn't know when they will return after new year again no wages - no xmas gift of any discription except no wages BUT he has jetted off to Tenerife for 2 weeks . WONDERFULL CHAP - I HOPE IT LASHES IT THE WHOLE TWO WEEKS - SCROOGE AINT IN IT
Iwas laid off the week before christmas. I've been working a public works project,prev. wage), and that part is great. The bad part is my boss has'nt paid us since Nov. He says there is no money and there won't be any till after X-mas. there are from 20 to 30 employees at this company. The project manager for the job I was on showed us the documentation of pay form they recieve after paying their sub-contractors. It stated that everyone had been paid in Dec. Where is the money. Do you believe the underside of his christmas tree is bare?