Type
Internal restructuring
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
Sector
Retail
Retail Trade, Except Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles
Retail Sale In Non-Specialised Stores
47.11 - Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating

1,500 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
1,700 jobs
Number of planned job creations
Job creation
Announcement Date
1 February 2018
Employment effect (start)
1 April 2018
Foreseen end date

Description

Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced plans to restructure by cutting 1,500 managerial jobs. At the same time, Morrisons will create 1,700 new junior customer assistant roles. There are 800 managerial vacancies currently across the retailers network, which geography permitting, could be filled by redeployment from the pool of 1,500. This would still leave a minimum of 700 managerial workers facing the choice between redundancy or accepting a lower paid job within the organisation.

A spokesperson for Morrisons has commented that this restructuring is intended to help give better service to customers. However, it has not gone unnoticed by commentators that the retailer, in common with others in the 'Big Four' has faced significant pressure from the discount sector, and that this restructure will replace higher paid jobs with ones paid at a lower level. Consultation will take place before job changes take effect. There has been no official announcement of the timescale by the employer, but a spokesperson for the USDAW trade union has revealed that Morrisons intends the changes to take effect from April 2018.


Sources

  • 1 February 2018: The Telegraph
  • 1 February 2018: Sky news
  • 1 February 2018: The Independent

Citation

Eurofound (2018), Morrisons, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 93188, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/93188.