Accusations of spying on its employees will mar the debut of German discount supermarket chain Lidl tomorrow when it will hold a press conference for Maltese journalists in the run-up to the opening of its first ever outlet in Malta, in Safi.
The site is itself subject to controversy because an irregular permit was issued for the supermarket being built by development magnate Charles Polidano, which had prompted the mass resignation of MEPA’s DCC board during the general elections.
The event tomorrow will be overshadowed by accusations that the German supermarket chain has been accused of spying on its employees, including recording how many times they went to the toilet as well as details about their love lives, personal finances and menstrual cycles.
The investigation was carried out by German news magazine Stern, which uncovered an extensive espionage system in its shops across Germany.
It obtained hundreds of pages of documents gathered by detectives allegedly employed by the chain to find out about its staff. The surveillance took place via mini-video cameras installed by detectives. The official reason given to store managers was to reduce shoplifting.
The records include details of precisely where employees had tattoos as well as information about their friends. “Her circle of friends consists mainly of drug addicts,” reads one record. The detectives also had the task of identifying which employees appeared to be “incapable” or “introverted and naive”.
Intimate details of how employees spent their break revealed how they were going to spend their evenings, and whether they had any money or not to go out.
Lidl is notorious for the accusations levelled at it over treatment of employees. In one case in the Czech Republic, a female worker was forbidden to go to the toilet during working hours. An internal memorandum allegedly advised staff that “female workers who have their periods may go to the toilet now and again, but to enjoy this privilege they should wear a visible headband”.
Lidl, which has more than 7,500 stores in 24 countries, confirmed that surveillance had taken place in Germany. It said the purpose was “not to monitor staff, but to establish possible abnormal behaviour”.