JD Sports working conditions: King of Trainers says alleged working practices aren’t in its training manual

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JD Sports has hit back at television reports of draconian working conditions at one of its distribution centres, denying the allegations and saying they are not an "accurate reflection" of working practices.

An undercover report by Channel 4 news into the sports retailers Kingsway warehouse in Rochdale revealed staff saying working conditions were "worse than prison". 

Staff alleged the FTSE 250 firm employed a controversial three-strikes-and-you-are-out policies and workers were threatened to be given the boot by the King of Trainers if they sit down during their shifts.

Read more: Sports Direct knew nothing of "possible" camera at happy Shirebrook

However, the firm refuted these were standard policies:

We do not believe it to be an accurate reflection of our culture, the vast majority of our people or our standards of practice and procedures… We would like to reiterate that we categorically do not operate a 'strike' policy or system and our workers cannot be fired 'on the spot'.

Nevertheless, JD Sports did said it would be launching a full investigation and, having only seen the footage for the first time yesterday evening did admit the evidence was damning: 

While we maintain that the policies and procedures in place are robust and fair, it is clear that we need to do better in their implementation.

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Many observers will draw parallels with similar media investigations at Sports Direct's sprawling Shirebrook warehouse.

Claims of black marks or strikes for breaching company policy, surprise searches and below minimum wage pay were levied against giant discount sports retailer.