Sports Direct's zero-hour contracts deemed 'Victorian' by Labour leader Ed Miliband
Labour leader Ed Miliband is to accuse Sports Direct of 'Victorian practices' thanks to its zero-hours contracts.
According to reports Miliband is set to call out the retailer for the 'exploiting' contracts it offers to members of staff at Labour's West Midlands regional conference in Coventry today.
"Sports Direct has predictable turnover, it is a modern company with stores on many high streets where many people shop," he will say. "But for too many of its employees, Sports Direct is a bad place to work."
Research by the political party revealed that 17,000 of Sports Direct's 20,000 employees had zero-hours contracts which do not guarantee work, sick pay or paid holidays.
Zero-hours contacts lead to a "zero-zero economy" according to Milband in which an "army of people work on zero-hours contracts with no security while a few people at the top get away with paying zero tax".
His speech continues: "These Victorian practices have no place in the 21st century. And under a Labour government, the exploitation of zero-hours contracts will be banned."
A Sports Direct spokesman told The Times to company will continue "reviewing, updating and improving" its core employment documents and procedures "beyond its existing compliant framework."
Miliband's attack on the retailer comes following a couple of rocky weeks for the party leader in which his personal ratings amongst voters fell to a record low.