PROTESTORS gathered outside Sports Direct today to call for an end to what they say are exploitative working practices at the firm.

The action, organised by Unite and supported by the Swindon People’s Assembly, saw campaigners giving out leaflets and engaging with shoppers outside the Regent Street store.

A spokesman for Unite said: “Sports Direct promised to great fanfare to offer all store staff guaranteed hours instead of exploitative zero hours contracts.

“Yet 12 months on, they are still recruiting casual store staff with no guaranteed hours of work, stating there may be weeks when no hours of work are offered.

“We mustn’t let them continue to get away with broken promises. We are putting Sports Direct in the spotlight over Victorian working conditions.”

Concerns have also been raised over a bizarre system which allegedly sees agency workers in Sports Direct warehouses being told to tap a smiley or sad emoji face at the start of their shift to record whether they are happy in the workplace.

Employees that tap the sad face are asked to reconsider, tap it again, and if they again hit sad they are allegedly taken to a room and spoken to.

The Unite spokesman added: "Many workers fearful of losing their job hit the smiley face to avoid being labelled a trouble maker."

Swindon staff wouldn’t comment on the protest happening outside their store on Wednesday and a request for comment from the firm’s head office went unanswered.