Tesco advert error

A LEADING supermarket has admitted it made a “mistake” when it advertised for permanent workers in exchange for expenses and jobseeker’s allowance.

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A Tesco advert for nightime workers at its Bury St Edmunds store had appeared on the Jobseekers’ Plus website.

Users of social network sites, Twitter and Facebook, highlighted the error on the advert.

Tesco said the impression that it was seeking to replace full-time workers was mistaken and instead the job advertised was a work experience position as part of the Government’s “workfare scheme”, which is linked to payment of benefits.

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “The advert is a mistake caused by an IT error by Jobcentre Plus and is being rectified.

“It is an advert for work experience with a guaranteed job interview at the end of it as part of a Government-led work experience scheme. We take our responsibility as Britain’s biggest private sector employer seriously.”

Unions had called for high street chains to withdraw from Government programmes that require the unemployed to work for up to six months or face losing their benefits.

The company defended its involvement in the scheme, saying that such work experience could be valuable.

So far, 300 young people have gone on to get permanent employment after a placement, the statement added. Such placements were not “a replacement or substitute for our permanent staff”.

Sainsbury’s and the Waterstones book chain have already withdrawn from the scheme.