Justin Madders slips up, desks become status symbols and Volkswagen celebrates sausages sales. That and more in this week’s The Capitalist
LABOUR’S GOT BILLS TO SWAY
Labour’s Employment Bill, the anticipation of which has already seen an overwhelming number of businesses plan to cut hiring, remains far more at risk of giving workers frights than rights. Which may be why employment rights minister Justin Madders was left flailing when asked to name a single small business which supported the Bill in the Commons on Tuesday. As noticed by Guido, the best the minister could offer was the Co-op, which, with an £11.5bn annual turnover and 62,000 members of staff, outstrips the government definition of an SME by a cool £11.45bn and 61,750 employees.
Not to worry, he also cited the support of the British Commerce of Chamber (BCC), a fantastic endorsement! – were it true. As it happens Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said Labour’s legislation was likely to “hamper growth, restrict recruitment and lead to job losses”. Oh dear.
VOLKSWAGEN’S SAUSAGE BOOM
But enough of this country’s woes, to Germany. A slump in car sales saw Volkswagen warn of factory closures and job cuts just months ago, but a surprise bestseller is helping it regain favour: the VW currywurst. Produced by the carmaker since 1973 primarily for its canteen factories, the popularity of the sausage reached record highs last year, with the carmaker selling 8.5m.
Branded as a Volkswagen Originalteil “Volkswagen Original Part” under part number 199 398 500 A, Volkswagen produced more individual currywurst than individual cars for several years. It has been lauded as the “power bar of the skilled production worker” by former Chancellor Gerhard Scroder, who took to the sausage’s defence in 2021 after news the manufacturer was considering replacing the beloved bratwurst with a vegetarian version.
A SOBERING SURVEY
St Paddy’s Day may be round the corner, but only 1 in 10 workers intend to raise a glass to the emerald isle on the 17th March, according to The Global Payroll Association, whose recent survey pronounced workplace drinking culture as well and truly dead. According to the survey, only six per cent of workers say they regularly drink during work hours though (peculiarly) even fewer (two per cent) say they do so during their lunch break. Is it coincidence a decline in boozing comes at the same time as a fall in office attendance? The Capitalist wouldn’t like to speculate, but will be at The Ship come lunchtime Monday.
DESK JOCKEYING
Think your boss is trying to psychologically undermine you by giving you the worst seat in the office? Tell it to the judge. Turns out, they’ll listen. At least they did to one estate agent from Rickmansworth, who this week won his employment tribunal based on the claim that his assignment to a “middle” rather than esteemed “back” desk (instead given to a more junior colleague) amounted to a demotion, and thus a breach of workplace rules. Robson sales director Daniel Young defended his seating plan, saying he had not realised the “significance” of the back desk.