A shelf stacker at Tesco claims he lost his job after he told bosses he couldn’t come into work because he had to self isolate. 

Dominic Clark, 24, was told by Test-and-Trace he should stay at home for two weeks after a member of his household tested positive for Covid. 

He had only just started at the supermarket on a temporary festive contract after a period of being unemployed and had worked three shifts at Tesco Extra Gallows Corner in Romford, Essex.

He says he called his employers to inform them of the worrying news, but less than a week later, was stunned to receive a letter confirming his contract was being brought to an end.

Dominic believes the supermarket giant’s action could encourage other staff to ignore Test and Trace advice for fear of losing their jobs.

In the Tesco-headed letter, a night shift manager wrote: ‘Dear Dominic, I am writing to confirm the end of your temporary contract with Tesco Stores Ltd.

‘Your last working day with us will be 30 November, 2020. You have not attended work since 23 November due to self-isolation.

‘Currently, we are in a busy period in our sales calendar, and we need everyone’s support and commitment to the shifts they are contracted and rota’d for.

‘You are more than welcome to re-apply for another temporary festive role after your isolation period.

‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the contribution you have made whilst in our employment and to wish you good luck for your future.’

Dominic is now urging Tesco to ‘review’ their decision as he fears other employees may break the law for fear of losing their jobs.

Dominic, from Romford, Essex, said: ‘It’s crazy to me that you try and do the right thing and get penalised for it.

‘If I had risked it and given it to my colleagues, I’d be in this position again. If I hadn’t said anything, I could still have been working. I could have endangered life and become really ill myself.

‘I didn’t have symptoms but I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t want to risk it. I’d like to think people would still do the right thing, but by doing this to me, Tesco set a bit of a precedent. It’s in a sense of “what we don’t know won’t hurt us”.

‘It’s the principle of it all. If people let them get away with it, they’ll just keep doing it.’

Dominic, who usually works in events, had been relieved to finally find a job after having had next to no regular income since lockdown hit in March. 

He says being stuck inside has taken a strain on his mental health and he felt having a job had finally given him back a sense of purpose. 

He said: ‘It’s a lot of stress because I’m still indoors. My mental health is suffering for it because I can’t get out – I’ve got no real purpose.

‘I work in events usually and I’ve had no work since March really, just the odd bits here and there.

‘That was the thing for me, getting a job was about getting out and having something to keep me occupied.

‘I’m lucky. I’m in a position where I’ve not got anyone depending on me financially and I’m lucky I live with my family, but it’s not right. It’s setting the wrong precedent for employees.’

A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We were sorry to hear that Dominic was not happy with the way his contract ended and we have reached out to him to discuss this.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article