Autistic volunteer who lost job at Waitrose after mum asked for him to be paid gets offered new job

An autistic volunteer who lost his job at Waitrose after his mother asked for him to be paid has reportedly been offered a new job at a rival supermarket.

Tom Boyd, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, had been volunteering at Waitrose for four years and had completed more than 600 hours of work experience stacking shelves.

The 28-year-old had started working for the supermarket chain in 2021 and had recently increased his working hours to 9.30am to 2pm two days a week, while accompanied by a support worker.

However, when Tom's mother, Frances Boyd, and his support worker enquired about the possibility of him transitioning onto paid work, he was reportedly left without any work for two months as the store discussed the situation with higher ups.

Waitrose has come under fire this week after it emerged an autistic volunteer had his job terminated after his mum asked for pay (Getty Images)

"We weren’t after 40 or 30 or 20 hours. We said we’d accept four, three or even two -just something," Frances told The Times.

"He did enjoy it and enjoyed going there. His language is very limited and he couldn’t communicate with customers, but he had support staff there who could have done so on his behalf.

"He’s been doing it for four years, so why can’t that continue?"

Tom's employment situation has since sparked a huge debate online, as people have sought to understand what rights volunteers have in the workplace.

His story even reached the attention of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who wrote on X that Tom had received 'truly terrible' treatment.

Tom Boyd completed more than 600 hours of work experience at Waitrose (Family Handout)

He went on to urge all employers, including Waitrose, to sign up to Greater Manchester's Bee Neuroinclusive Code of Practice.

Now, Frances has received a positive update on her son's employment, revealing he's been offered a job at Asda.

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

"It's overwhelming and they are flexible to say if at any time he is struggling, they are fine," she continued.

"How amazing that a company could do this."

Tom has now received an employment offer from Asda (Anna Barclay/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Waitrose has told LADbible they are 'investigating' Tom's situation, adding that they would like to invite him back with an offer of paid employment.

"As those familiar with Waitrose will know, we care deeply about helping people into the workplace who might otherwise not be given a chance. As such, we warmly welcomed Tom and his support worker into our Cheadle Hulme branch to gain experience and build his confidence," a spokesperson said.

"We have policies in place to support volunteering, and are investigating what’s happened in Tom’s situation.

"We’d like to welcome Tom back, in paid employment, and are seeking support from his family and the charity to do so. We hope to see him back with us very soon."

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