EVERY LITTLE LESS HELPS THE BOTTOM LINE: So, Tesco are planning to cut sick pay as an "experiment." We've just sent them the following:

As a Tesco customer, I want to express my disgust and misgivings at your announced new policy of not paying your staff for the first three days of sick leave.

Disgust, because your company makes enormous profits, and I've always believed you to be quite a positive employer - I'm guessing this penny pinching measure is only intended to target the people who make your profits possible, or will your directors find their pay docked if they're unfortunate enough to have a snuffle or a sniffle?

Misgivings, because the likely effect of telling people on low incomes that they'll lose their pay if they take a day off sick is going to be presenteeism. If people can't afford to be off sick, they'll turn up for work when they're ill - and to be honest, the thought of your delicatessen and vegetable counters being staffed by people with heavy colds, breathing germs over the produce isn't much of an encouragement to shop at your store. It makes me think that Waitrose will be a better option in future.

If you've really got a problem with staff taking sick days when they're not actually sick, why net get Dotty in with her big book of 'how to tell if people are lying' from your TV commercials? Surely she could clear up any malingering?