Read to the end for the Summer Fridays trend, new tube and airport strike dates, and dogs at polling stations.
Morning team,
Another day, another CEO accused of acting inappropriately at the office. This time, Tesco chairman John Allan has been accused of inappropriate behaviour, including touching the bottoms of two different women, and of making inappropriate remarks on multiple occasions. He has denied all but one of the allegations.
Before taking over at Tesco, Allan was president of the Confederation of British Industry for two one-year terms, the same CBI which has faced claims of a rape at a summer work party in 2019, and other sexual misconduct, the Guardian uncovered last month.
But, as is often the case when high-powered men are accused of bad behaviour, there is another factor to point the finger at before the perpetrators take responsibility for their own actions.
Alcohol, that well-known trouble-maker.
CMI boss Ann Francke told the BBC that alcohol "doesn't need to be the main event" at work parties, with two in five of those surveyed agreeing that work dos should be organised around non-alcoholic events.
What do you think? Should companies reduce the amount of alcohol on offer at staff dos?
And why stop there? The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 55 per cent of domestic abuse perpetrators were drinking alcohol prior to assault. While all genders can commit domestic violence, research shows that men are significantly more likely to be perpetrators. Is it time to ban men from drinking alcohol at work, at home, anywhere?
Got a work-related story I should know about? Drop me an email at evie.breese@bigissue.com or tweet at @Evie_Breese
That Friday feeling. You’ve heard of the four-day week, now meet its slightly less fun (but still a good time) younger brother: the nine-day fortnight. I look into this increasingly popular policy in time for summer.
Cost cutting. Grocery and takeaway delivery companies are preparing to move hundreds of riders from hourly pay to gig economy contracts, meaning they would be paid per job, according to quick-commerce consultant Quaid Combstock. With industry executives no longer fearing tougher employment laws, according to Combstock, some are re-evaluating their worker contracts. Fascinating reporting from Tom Wall in the Observer.
Glass helmets. There are far fewer women working as couriers than men, but they routinely face harassment and abuse—for considerably lower pay. Read this deep-dive from Megan Carnegie for WIRED on how the gig economy is worse for women, and how the companies should be making their platforms safer for all.
HGV hell. Low pay and deteriorating health: Sarah Butler exposes the realities of working as a truck driver for Girteka, one of one of Europe’s biggest delivery firms, which works for Amazon, Ikea and DHL in this Observer long read.
Strike watch
Open wound. The Royal College of Nursing will ballot members from May 23 to June 23 for further strike action. The union is seeking a country-wide mandate to undertake further strikes in every NHS Trust in England where RCN members are employed. Catch up on all our reporting around the NHS staffing crisis here.
Like a rash. Amazon may have to contend with strike action at three more warehouses, following the first ever UK-based strikes at the Coventry warehouse, as GMB members are to vote on whether to strike over pay. GMB says it has met the legal threshold for union recognition, which will force Amazon to recognise it.
Happy anniversary. Dozens of Elizabeth Line employees will go on strike on Wednesday May 24, followed by eight days of action short of strike from Saturday May 27, marking one year of the line being open to the public. Elizabeth Line staff say they are paid tens of thousands of pounds less than colleagues in similar roles working on other Underground and DLR lines
Ink costs money. Writing for a new season of The Handmaid's Tale and a coming Game of Thrones prequel has been halted, according to Reuters, as the Hollywood writers strike continues.
Job security. With security guards at London’s Heathrow airport on their second day of strike action, 400 of their colleagues at Glasgow airport are set to vote on strike action with union Unite too. A “summer of travel chaos” looms.
More than eight million refugees have fled Ukraine for Europe since Russian bombs began to fall in February 2022. Yet 15 months after the war began, fewer than one in three refugees from Ukraine are employed in their host countries, according to recent research from UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency. Many are underemployed, engaged in low paying jobs that are far below their qualifications or, worse, employed in the so-called ‘informal’ economy without protections.
New Netflix series Beef has got us talking in the Big Issue office about its portrayal of hard work, success and class guilt.
One moment that stands out to me is when Amy, impeccably played by Ali Wong and relaxing in her newly acquired vacation home on the back of a successful business deal, asks the cleaner what she can do to help. Nothing, the cleaner replies, she’s got it all in hand. Amy, visibly uncomfortable, walks over to her husband to suggest they fire the cleaner because her presence makes her feel guilty for not doing the housework.
Should the wealthy feel bad for employing cleaners to do their dirty work? You tell me.
Know someone who will love this newsletter? Share our sign-up article with your social networks. And why not check out Survival Guide, our newsletter on the cost of living crisis from my colleague Isabella McRae.
In the diary
Tuesday May 9.Security officers at Heathrow airport will undertake two days of strike action on May 9 and 10 with Unite the union.
Friday May 12. Train drivers go on strike with Aslef, causing widespread disruption to services run by 15 rail companies.
Saturday May 13. RMT members working on the railways will strike for 24 hours, coinciding with the Eurovision final in Liverpool. This is likely to force a majority of train services to stop running.
Aslef train drivers at 15 rail companies will refuse to work over time for the day leading to many cancelled services. This is likely to cause significant disruption to train operators, many of which rely on drivers volunteering to work on their days off to run a full service.
Monday May 15. Aslef train drivers start six days of action short of strike by refusing to work overtime until May 20.
Wednesday May 31. Train drivers strike with Aslef go on strike again, affecting rail services at 15 companies.
Thursday June 1. Aslef train drivers resume an overtime ban for 24 hours.
Saturday June 3. Train drivers with Aslef go on strike, coinciding with the FA Cup final when many football fans will be travelling to London to see two Manchester teams play at Wembley.
Dogs at polling stations brought “pawsitive vibes” to this local election day, let’s just hope these good boys didn’t forget their IDs.
Does your cat/dog/garden fox/animal you saw on holiday participate in the daily grind? Nominate them today by sending me a photo to: evie.breese@bigissue.com
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