It is believed that many people working on a temporary basis in hospitality and cleaning suddenly lost their jobs for reasons such as going to the toilet without asking. At least three temporary workers are said to have lost their jobs for sitting on the hill with a drink after their shift ended. Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. A 19-year-old gap year student working as a member of the housekeeping team said they were initially “squeamish” to take their shifts as they were relatively well paid. “But we were working on Wednesday and during our lunch break [friend] he sat on the hill and had some strawberries,” they said. “Next thing, he gets an email saying he won’t be taking any more shifts. Now we literally brick it to do anything on our breaks or even sit on the hill after we finish work in case we are told there will be no more shifts for us. The whole thing is strange.” Another temporary worker called the situation a “mess,” saying: “I think it reflects on the management here. They are firing people left, right and centre. Basically they are overcrowded and they said there aren’t enough fans here – not what they expected – so they have to lay people off. “People get fired because they’re overstaffed and use the fact that the staff are watching tennis and drinking as an excuse.” An email sent by a contractor to its staff confirmed that the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) was looking to reduce its staff numbers. “As you may have noticed, visitor numbers are lower than expected, which is why the AELTC has asked that we consider reducing our day staff numbers,” it said. The number of entries at Wimbledon was slightly lower than expected. Although the capacity is 42,000 per day, the total may be higher than this when ticket resales are included. On Wednesday and Thursday there were approximately 38,500 fans. The highest attendance ever was 46,826 on one day in 2009. An AELTC spokesman said: “We appreciate all the staff who help us deliver the Championship, they are vital to putting on this world-class competition. “We meet each year with each of our major contractors to agree terms and conditions of employment, which are shared with all potential employees. We are delighted that many of our staff choose to return to work at Wimbledon year after year and help us put on an incredible event.”
