A number of major retailers have ceased to employ a Santa Claus directly, but instead are choosing to contract out the service using external employment agencies, according to research undertaken by XpertHR.
In another blow to tradition, there is also evidence that Father Christmas is being edged out, with one large shopping centre telling XpertHR that it no longer has room for Santa - he has been replaced by a café.
A spokesperson for the Confederation of Santa and Elves Unions (CSEU) descibed this as a very worrying development: "The growing casualisation of Christmas employment has now spread to perhaps the most important part of the workforce - Santa and his or her little helpers. As a trade union, we have made various representations to both the employers and government, but to little effect, and we are now appealing for the support of the general public. Grotto workers' terms and conditions need protecting".
To add to the CSEU's woes, there are also rumours that Santa may not be protected by the Directive 2008/104/EC on Temporary Agency Work [subscription required] (commonly known as The Agency Workers Directive), as even at a very busy Christmas, he is unlikely to accrue 12 weeks of service.
A careful reading of the legislation omits any mention of Father Christmas, elves, and indeed reindeer. This is a major concern, and the union says that, even at this late stage, there is still time for the UK government to step in, ideally before midnight, 24 December.
With thanks to my non-blogging colleague, Adam Geldman.
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