Autistic man axed by Waitrose after working for free for four years offered paid job at Asda

Autistic man axed by Waitrose after working for free for four years offered paid job at Asda

Tom Boyd's story has drawn national outrage after being told he 'couldn't do the full role' at the Cheadle Hulme store

View Image Tom Boyd (Image: Frances Boyd)

An autistic man who had been working unpaid for more than four years at Waitrose before being told they couldn't provide him with a proper job has been offered a paid role by a rival supermarket.

Tom Boyd, 28, attracted national attention after the Manchester Evening News first reported on his story on Tuesday (October 21).

He had been doing work experience at the Waitrose in Cheadle Hulme for two mornings a week, mainly stacking shelves.

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His mum Frances estimated he had racked up more than 600 hours of volunteering over the years. But, when the family asked if he could have a few paid hours in recognition of the hours he put in, they were 'shocked' by a 'dismissive' and 'cold' response from the chain.

According to Frances, Waitrose said that Tom wouldn't be offered a paid job at the store because he 'couldn't do the full role'.

"The manager said, “We can’t just let him do his thing,” when that’s exactly what he’s been doing successfully for years," she wrote on Facebook.

She added: "After everything he’s done, there was no apology, no thanks, and no recognition for his commitment. Just silence.

"He deserved better. He deserved kindness, respect, and the chance for all his hard work to mean something."

Now, Frances has told the BBC that Tom has been offered regular, paid work by supermarket chain Asda.

"We've had some great news," she told the broadcaster. "Asda have offered him two five-hour paid shifts a week.

"It's overwhelming and they are flexible to say if at any time he is struggling they are fine. How amazing that a company could do this."

The story has garnered national attention, with Frances telling BBC Breakfast yesterday (October 22) how much Tom enjoyed the role.

"He absolutely loved it. He loved that sense of belonging and the structure of going to work, the independence it gave him and feeling like a working man."

Mrs Boyd said she is hoping that exposing the situation will act as a lesson for what she claimed was unfairness surrounding volunteering for disabled people.

She said: "People like Tom don't fall under any rights under the Equality Act. When you volunteer, your job can end at any time and that's not really fair, and we hope this is a lesson that we can all take forward and learn from and correct it."

A Waitrose & Partners spokesman said: "We're absolutely committed to being an inclusive employer.

"We work closely with a number of charities, and employ people from a huge range of backgrounds, including those who require additional support. When we offer work experience, it's always with good intentions and to help people gain experience.

"While we are not able to discuss individual cases, we would always need to complete our investigation before agreeing the best resolution.

"This is already under way and we're in touch with the family and the charity to reassure them that we're working urgently on this."