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Sports Direct’s billionaire boss Mike Ashley has prompted anger by producing a wad of £50 notes in front of a group of journalists and photographers during a visit to one of the brand’s warehouses where workers were revealed to be paid below the minimum wage.
Ashley, who has been in the headlines in recent weeks over controversial zero-hour contracts at the company, was going through the same searches staff members are asked to undergo ahead of each shift at its Shirebrook warehouse when he produced a wad of £50 notes from his pockets.
Stunned journalists captured the exchange on camera, with one observing: “There’s a lot of cash there.”
“Yes, I’ve been to the casino,” Ashley joked. “Don’t please write that…”
Ashley was giving journalists and shareholders a tour of the Sports Direct warehouse following the company’s tense annual general meeting where some of its biggest shareholders voted against re-election of the board.
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In July, Sports Direct was scrutinised by MPs over its working conditions which were compared to “Victorian workhouses” by the Business Innovation and Skills select committee. Other claims to hit the company include paying workers below the minimum wage which Ashley has since vowed to change.
The company has announced plans to offer permanent members of staff minimum 12-hour contracts.
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