 Poster: A snowHead
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rosiemdk, first stop should be to get it in writing. Any sort of publicity that suggests staff are working with vomiting, especially anywhere near food, is likely to be a massive problem for them.
The health and safety at work act probably doesn't apply, but there will be an equivalent in France. Worth them going to the town hall and asking for some help - there will be someone who knows the French system fairly well, and you may get a bit of support from there to resolve it. Ultimately the town doesn't want a vomiting bug getting around the resort.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi rosiemdk,
I have worked for a lot of tour operators, although never in Courcheval, so thought I'd write my thoughts for you - hope it helps?
The company is within it's rights to say that you can't get involved with this as it is an employment issue between your son and his employer, and you are not in any way involved from a legal point of view. I can completely understand why you want to help but your son needs to deal with this himself even if you aide with letter writing etc.
I would suspect that the reason the company are being so difficult about this is that they do not have an alternative accommodation to move them into. In addition even if they could find it staff accom in Courcheval costs around €2500 per person for the season so what they are asking for has a huge financial value, especially when the bills on the flat they are living in have probably already been paid. However there are other things that the employers could do such as dealing with the mold/leak etc or temporarily accommodating them in empty guest rooms during the quieter march period if they have spaces, netiher of which it sounds like they are addressing.
In your son's contract or training manual he should have a grievence proceedure which he needs to follow with his employers. It will usually ask you to send your complaint in writing to your local manager and then, if you haven't had a response in a certain time frame forward it on to a senior manager. Your son and his friends should write a specific and detailed complaint about the problems with the accommodation, and include photos, following the grievence proceedure to the letter and making it clear in their first letter that this is what they are doing. If they have any official documents such as sick notes they should include copies (not originals!) of these too, and keep a copy of everything that they send to refer back to.
It is easy for seasonaires to get angry (understandably!) about these type of situations but you should re-iterate to your son that he needs to do this calmly and factually, only including the points which are actual real problems which are the fault of the company (eg sub standard accommodation) and not a lot of moans about things which the company can't control (eg difficult guests etc) otherwise he won't be taken seriously.
I hope that helps - good luck!
Heather
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rosiemdk, Sounds pretty shabby. I know you don't have legal recourse but I would have thought that a courtesy email to the company MD that you're considering submitting your human interest story about how worried you are about your son to the Daily Mail (they love middle class interest stories like this) and/or the other tabs/freesheets might get some attention paid to the matter. Easier to play the PR game than a procedural one if you want to influence things.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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fatbob, I can imagine that being blackmailed will go down very well with the company MD!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Other option is of course to find a new job. There must be a few companies who have lost people over the course of the season, if you can get in with them there is a chance of a new job, find somewhere new to live, and the company that is treating them badly loses the people they need because of their shabby standard of accommodation.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Latest on the 7's facebook page is that skithe3v are looking at going into adminstration, wonder how long before it pops up under a different name?
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| Flet©h wrote: |
| fatbob, I can imagine that being blackmailed will go down very well with the company MD! |
Don't think its really blackmail - just savvy use of options. Will at least get the attention of high ups in the company as to whether they choose to do anything about it. And if it's just a human interest story - these are the conditions my son is forced to live in while he's employed by a British Co - are FoxConn employees really that much worse off? (or other such bollux), how is it blackmail unless something is being fabricated in the facts?
PR sh;tstorm is today's way to get stuff done quickly, otherwise it's kicked to the bottom of the list.
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sounds like the house i lived in when i was a student
these kids need to toughen up
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Arno, Are you sure it wasn't your own dirty protest?
Season workers do seem to a perpetual whine about being ill although like students rarely seems to stop them hitting the booze.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Could this be the end of the UK chalet business model in France? |
Why would it be. It's not in the interest of the French authorities for (some of) the English to stop coming to France. If the holidays are not as cheap, (some of) the English will go elsewhere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Snow and Sunshine, So It's ok to live like that because the company cannot afford to move them? That's fine then, glad you cleared that up.
rosiemdk Name and shame the company? I will be glad to know who they are so I don't apply with them next year.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Snow and Sunshine, Procedures are all well and good if you're the employer. If you're an employee and want swift action on something which is a problem then sometimes the official route isn't the best particularly if standard procedure is to address all complaints in 28 days and schedule a mediation meeting within a further 14 or something. If you're in a short term low paid job where you don't particularly care about continued employment I'd be pushing it on something like this - after all there can't be many jobs where you are expected to work when you are genuinely ill ( rather than hungover) or injured, perhaps the Armed Forces in extremis.
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This is on the Les Menuires 7 Facebook page. I knew this would be the outcome.
UPDATE: We've all had an email from skithe3v notifying us that the company is looking at going into administration and that all future correspondence should be directed at their solicitors... they haven't actually told us who those solicitors are yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough... Personally, we think he's got enough on his plate worrying about the French authorities and what they're going to do to him
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
So It's ok to live like that because the company cannot afford to move them? That's fine then, glad you cleared that up.
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That isn't what I wrote, nor what I think - I lived in staff accom for many years when I was starting out and as a result we provide some of the best in the industry - and certainly no water on the floor or mold on the walls!
What I wrote was explaining to the OP why, in my opinion, the company aren't agreeing to her son's requests, and giving her some suggestions for moving forwards. After all if the problems in the accom were fixed that would also solve the situation and is much more feasible for the company to actually do logistically. Without seeing his specific contract it is hard to know, but most ski companies have days rather than weeks in their greivence and disciplinary proceedures as standard.
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If you're in a short term low paid job where you don't particularly care about continued employment
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Unfortunately I suspect that her son does very much care about his continued employment otherwise he would have handed in his notice when he first saw the accommodation.
Looking in from the outside it is very easy to encourage people to contact the papers, go on strike, all refuse to work etc but in the vast majority of cases for staff working for big companies following those suggestions or tactics simply leads to their contracts being terminated early. I suspect that not many people who suggest this type of action would ever take it in their own jobs or own lives in the UK so it isn't a great idea to suggest it to a young seasonaire who may well act upon it.
The guys in Les Menuires are in an unusual situation in that they had already had their contracts terminated, and not been paid when they started their direct action and they did a great job and gathered a lot of public support against a company which already had a bad reputation in the industry and in resort. It is great news thet they have been paid and we are all really happy for them with the verdict that they have recieved. Rosie's son is not in the same situation at all though and unfortunately might find himself with a completely different outcome.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do Rosie - I hope it works out for your son and that he has a great end to the season.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
This is on the Les Menuires 7 Facebook page. I knew this would be the outcome.
UPDATE: We've all had an email from skithe3v notifying us that the company is looking at going into administration and that all future correspondence should be directed at their solicitors... they haven't actually told us who those solicitors are yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough... Personally, we think he's got enough on his plate worrying about the French authorities and what they're going to do to him |
I'd be a bit worried about all the other customers who have booked with them for the rest of the season.
Not surprised, but demonstrates to the smaller TOs that they need to look after their staff - effectively 7 people have killed a TO within a week with a decent bit of publicity.
Countdown to the launch of a new company owned and run by the same cowboy that ran skithe3v.
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Poster: A snowHead
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rosiemdk I can imagine you are worried about your son, but this really is par for the course. And I don't think you can get a vomiting bug from sleeping in a damp bedroom. You do, of course, tend to pass it round and round if you never clean your kitchen. I've only seen one lot of "seasonnaire" accommodation but I'd bet the dirty little bugs hadn't cleaned the kitchen in weeks! Cloths, tea-towels, etc sitting coddling in a warm atmosphere for weeks. A veritable super-colony for bugs of all kinds.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snow and Sunshine, No one's suggesting it to the seasonnaire just to his mum who clearly isn't in an employment situation with the company and has no rights or obligations. There is a difference right? TO would be on shakey ground if they sacked someone just because a relative said something bad about them.
& I don't doubt that TO workers contribute to their own problems thru drugs, alcohol, lack of sleep and limited hygiene but equally I suspect living accomodation for many isn't anything like the standard it should be relative to the "deductions" charged for it.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rosiemdk, I've sent you a pm.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
equally I suspect living accomodation for many isn't anything like the standard it should be relative to the "deductions" charged for it.
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yes, it does often seem to be grotty. But how many jobs available to unskilled 18 - 20 year olds in the UK pay them enough to keep a decent roof over their heads? Let alone drink too much and ski!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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rosiemdk, can you post the pictures on here for us...Id be interested to see.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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UPDATE
Skithe3v has gone bust!!! He has done a runner with people's money, what a scummy man he is. check out the poem in the website!!!
https://skithe3v.com/
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Out of interest, what were the Les Menuires guys accused of doing in the blanket e-mail that was sent around to the staff? I heard something about crashing a minibus.
Bloke sounds like a c unt for putting a p isstake poem like that up. I hope he receives some restorative justice late at night. Not in a gay "pugilism on the piste" way, but as in a proper kicking.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
UPDATE
Skithe3v has gone bust!!! He has done a runner with people's money, what a scummy man he is. check out the poem in the website!!!
https://skithe3v.com/ |
Perhaps the owner of Skithe3V, Mark Ridgers, could go into partnership with Chris Reynolds of Skiing Europe fame. I'm sure if they pooled their respective talents the resulting ski travel business venture would produce remarkable results! 
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The website is registered to an Essex address. Not difficult to get via web registration websites . . . . .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| andersont wrote: |
Out of interest, what were the Les Menuires guys accused of doing in the blanket e-mail that was sent around to the staff? I heard something about crashing a minibus.
Bloke sounds like a c unt for putting a p isstake poem like that up. I hope he receives some restorative justice late at night. Not in a gay "pugilism on the piste" way, but as in a proper kicking. |
One of the new lads who was recruited early February skidded on a patch of ice after a day working. All of the chalet staff were in the minibus and had been working. They were returning to their accommodation down near ST Martin in a little village. Mark tried to say that the crash happened "outside of working hours" and they had to pay for it to be repaired. Just for the record, his right hand man out in the Alps had crashed the same van a month earlier for driving like a complete idiot. There was over £1000 of repairs which the company paid for.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The "poem"has now been removed from the website.
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Presumably the Administrator of the company will need to quickly dispose of the assets to pay off creditors - did he own or rent the chalet? Could be a sizeable place going 'cheap' in a forced sale.
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You know it makes sense.
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alti - dude, He rented them all.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ricklovesthepowder,
On the basis that it's publicly available information, should the name and address of the website address holder and the name and current/former address of the Directors be published here?
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Poster: A snowHead
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alti - dude, That's your choice. However, please could you send them to me in a private message, thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Piece in yesterday's Evening Standard
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Cambridge graduate Aanya Madhani, 22, now back home in Ilford, said: “Even though we came to agreements, we still have not received the payments we were owed of around £1,000 to £1,500 each. These were due to be paid into our bank accounts on February 29, but never turned up.
“Many clients have booked holidays for the next few weeks. They are going to lose their money and their holidays. We have each filed an individual police report against Mark with the gendarmerie in Les Menuires on the basis of hours worked and non-payment.” |
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FAQ
