Mike Ashley, the maverick boss of Sports Direct International, continues his fight with the British Parliament. The institution's Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) committee has formally summoned him to attend a hearing in Westminster on June 7 regarding SDI's treatment of employees at its Shirebrook warehouse, intimating that he may be found in contempt of parliament if he doesn't appear. Ashley had invited members of the parliament to visit Shirebrook in advance of the hearing, but Iain Wright, chairman of the committee, said it would not accept any conditions. In response, SDI said it found the committee's position unfair, adding that Ashley would be seeking legal advice with regard to his own position in the matter. Ashley has offered to fly MPs in his personal helicopter. The business, innovation and skills committee wants to investigate claims that some workers at the warehouse were effectively paid less than the minimum wage, due to compulsory and extensive security procedures that were carried out outside of their working hours. Ashley dismissed the MPs on the select committee as “a joke” and described its request for him to answer questions in parliament as an abuse of the parliamentary process.

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