Sears Canada recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Among the items approved by the courts--items for which Sears asked--were big, fat bonuses for their executives--and screwing their line workers out of hard-earned severance pay and benefits.
Now, we've all heard the experts parading around the news shows today, explaining why it's "necessary" to "retain key people" for the restructuring, and why it's "necessary" to cut off payments other than wages to their general staff, "for the survival of the company."
All I can say about that is: bullshit!
And here's why:
These "key executives" now bellying-up to the trough for a good feeding, courtesy of their thousands of subordinates, presided over Sears Canada during a time when the store went rapidly downhill. These turkeys couldn't grow their business when times were good; why should we believe it'll be any different now? In fact, allowing the situation to deteriorate to the point of bankruptcy is an arguably self-serving act, in that now they have the courts' go-ahead to take away things their 'lesser' people--who once made Sears Canada great--had already earned. Their jobs are, temporarily, safe. Hey--and they get bonuses! Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth. Hand me a beer, and screw the little guys.
Good luck when these people start leaving--and they will. Our forebears, the Scots, had a saying: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." They'll be leaving en masse. And they'll be just as tough to replace as "key executives"--tougher, in fact, because, having seen how Sears Canada treats its hard-working, loyal employees, who'd want to work there? I sure's hell wouldn't. I went through the no-severance-pay thing in 2012, with Newgate 180. Threw away a promising young career as a software developer and worked there nearly 25 years (1986-2012), at the end of which I walked away with... a watch. It's no fun.
As far as I'm concerned, these "key executives" were responsible for the mess in the first place. They sat on their fat asses and didn't do their jobs. They sat and presided over Sears' long fall from grace. Far from being rewarded for this, they should be fired! Everyone above the level of Store Manager should be summarily dismissed from Sears Canada--immediately, and without severance pay. Replace them with people who are willing to work for what's offered and no more; people who might have some chance to save the stillbirth that is modern-day Sears Canada.
But, that's not going to happen. So (and I suspect that the great majority of Canadians are with me on this) we have to kill off Sears. It's the kindest thing to do for all concerned. Squeeze them dry. We should have known that something like this was coming, after what they did to Eaton's. Now there's no excuse.
I will never again set foot inside a Sears Canada outlet. In my opinion, it doesn't deserve my business. Best to kill it off quickly--before their "key executives" line up like good little piggies to lap up another round of totally undeserved bonuses.
In short: if you shop at Sears Canada, you are only rewarding bad behaviour.
Pass it on.
