Waitrose axed autistic volunteer after pay request | UK | News
a violent man autism A Waitrose volunteer lost his job after his family asked if he could be paid. Tom Boyd’s mother Frances said her son had been working at a branch in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester, since 2021.
Frances, from Stockport, said Tom, 27, had worked more than 600 hours as a shelf stacker. Accompanied by a support worker, Tom won the praise of his colleagues; some reportedly said he worked harder than some paid staff. Waiter He said he was investigating what happened “as a priority”.
Tom’s family and support workers approached the supermarket giant last year to ask him to take on some hours of paid work.
His mother told Times “Alarm bells went off” at head office due to the amount of unpaid work Tom was doing and he would be unable to work until the problem was resolved.
According to the same publication, more than two months have passed since Tom finished his shift. Frances said: “He misses it. He liked it and enjoyed going there.”
She explained that her son’s language skills were very limited and he could not communicate with customers, but there were support staff there who could do that for him.
Frances said she wanted her son to return to the store for a little while.
He said: “[My son] He deserved better. “He deserved kindness, respect and the chance for all his hard work to mean something.”
Jo Martin, employment lawyer at Bellevue Law, said: “I am concerned that Tom has contributed valuable work to Waitrose for years without pay, despite not meeting the criteria for genuine work experience or volunteering.
“Given his autism, it is understandable that he would rely on his mother for advocacy and I hope Waitrose will immediately re-evaluate the situation, taking both their perspectives and employment law into account.”
Waitrose’s parent company, John Lewis Partnership, has been approached for comment.
A spokesperson for Waitrose told The Times: “We work hard to be an inclusive employer. As part of this, we partner with a range of charities, including providing work experience, and we are highly experienced in making reasonable adjustments to help people succeed at work.
“We are sorry to hear about Tom’s story, and while we cannot comment on individual cases, we are investigating as a priority.”
