A dedicatedautisticvolunteer who worked more than 600 hours forWaitrose‘absolutely loved’ the independence it gave him, before he was sacked.
Tom Boyd, 27, had been volunteering twice a week for more than four years, pouring all of his heart and effort from 9.30am to 2pm, stacking shelves and unloading stock at their Cheadle Hulme store.
His mother, Frances Boyd, said onFacebookthat he did it ‘purely because he wanted to belong, contribute and make a difference.’
But Tom was let go when his mother askedsupermarketbosses if he could be paid.
”He absolutely loved it. He loved that sense of belonging and the structure of going to work and the independence it gave him and feeling like a working man,’ she told BBC Breakfast.
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‘We’ve told him he was a working man once he started to go out and finish college, and he used to say: ‘I’m working like my dad and my brother’.’
Despite his commitment and reliability, problems arose when she and his support workers asked Waitrose if there was a possibility he could have a few hours of paidwork.
The request was not forcharitybut recognition of the time and unpaid work he had dedicated to the store.
It is understood that the branch took the request to the head office, who were concerned by the amount of free work Tom had done – and that he would not be able to continue until the situation had been resolved.
This means Tom has not been able to work for two months. His mum has not told him why to avoid upsetting him.
If Tom had difficulty communicating with customers due to his limited language, he was helped by his support workers. Frances said: ‘He’s been doing it for four years, so why can’t that continue?’
She wrote onsocial media: ‘They said he couldn’t be offered the job because he couldn’t ‘do the full role’ — yet others in the same store are being paid despite not doing every part of the job either.’
Tom has received endless support on his mum’s social media pages, with many agreeing that it is ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unfair’.
One Facebook user commented: ‘This is disgusting. I bet he is heartbroken. I know how hard you work to make sure he has the routine and as much independence as he can handle.
‘This is a disgraceful way to treat someone. Happy to let him work when it was for free, but as soon as money gets mentioned.’
Someone onInstagramexpressed their support by saying: ‘This seems completely illegal! 4 years of ‘work experience’? A few weeks would be acceptable to help him gain experience and skills, but this is a business profiting in the hundreds of millions, and this is exploitative.
‘Please go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau to get some guidance. There is surely a legal case here.’
A Waitrose spokesperson said: ‘We work hard to be an inclusive employer. As part of this, we partner with a number of charities, including providing work experience, and are well-experienced in making reasonable adjustments to help people succeed at work.
‘We are sorry to hear of Tom’s story and, while we cannot comment on individual cases, are investigating as a priority.’
Equality Act 2010 and employment
It is against the law for employers to discriminate against you because of a disability.
An employer has to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to avoid you being put at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled people in the workplace. For example, adjusting your working hours or providing you with a special piece of equipment to help you do the job.
Source:Gov.uk
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