Lidl is investigating allegations that two of its stores have forced cashiers to stand up for hours on end.
Cashiers at Lidl’s Bir id-Deheb outlet had their stools removed last week to ensure they lifted beverage packs out of shopping trolleys, one employee claimed.
The worker, who preferred not to be named, said the measure was introduced because some customers had been caught shoplifting items and hiding them underneath cartons and packs in their trolleys.
The issue was flagged in a letter to the editor published by The Times this week, in which reader Peter Montebello asked: “Are these workers now considered slaves?”
Another source connected to the store spoke in similar terms: “Management should be ashamed of themselves... Forcing someone to stand up for eight hours is slave labour.”
This source also alleged that cashiers at another Lidl outlet, this time in Luqa, had their stools removed in the past for periods of up to two weeks.
During a visit to the Bir id-Deheb outlet yesterday morning, cashiers were seated.
However, the source said their stools had only been returned following the publication of Mr Montebello’s letter on Monday.
In another visit, two cashiers at the Luqa store were standing, although one said they were doing so out of their own volition.
A spokesman for the company said the allegations were being investigated. “All we know is that the chairs were in the store at all times. Any transport outside of the shop would have needed authorisation, and that didn’t happen,” he said.
In a statement, Lidl underlined that the removal of stools went against its principles and “definitely does not reflect our leadership and management principles”.
The company insisted that the working atmosphere for its team was consistently being improved. Its cashier tills were equipped with modern equipment and chairs in line with the latest ergonomic guidelines.
Lidl’s employee philosophy, which it publishes on its website, says that Lidl aims “to be recognised and known as an attractive employer” and that “a mutually respectful and fair conduct shall extend beyond employment”.