Bosses at four major supermarkets have been sent 9,000 emails each urging them to close stores on Boxing Day, according to a workers’ rights campaign group.
The Grocer reported earlier this week how Organise, a UK campaigning network of over a million people, had rallied its members to send a standard email saying staff should have Boxing Day off.
Organise CEO Nat Whalley has since told The Grocer 9,000 emails each had been sent to Ken Murphy, Christian Härtnagel and Steve Murrells – the CEOs of Tesco, Lidl GB and Co-op respectively – over the past two weeks. A further 9,000 each had gone to Zuber Issa, one of the brothers who own Asda, and to the supermarket’s chief people officer, Hayley Tatum.
“Most supermarkets are doing the right thing – it’s time the remaining supermarkets listen to their hardworking staff and give them two days of paid leave to spend with family,” said Whalley.
However, there was confusion over the number actually received by the intended recipients. Co-op said it didn’t recognise the 9,000 figure. Tesco said it had received fewer than 80 and Lidl said none had been received by Härtnagel.
Whalley maintained: “I’ve checked our back end and I can confirm 9,070 emails were sent to Ken Murphy over the last two weeks. I also checked the deliverability in case they weren’t getting delivered. It looks like 6,600 got through, a few thousand were blocked by Tesco.”
Organise, an online platform that raised £570,000 in seed funding last year, told its members in an email: “If everyone reading this takes 10 seconds to email the CEOs, they’d be inundated.”
Members were invited to send a standard message to all recipients at once by clicking ‘send’ in a pre-filled email form on Organise’s website.
“As a proud customer, I hope you close your supermarkets on Boxing Day,” the message said. “Staff have worked so hard this year and deserve two days with their family.
“Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose have all responded and are closing on Boxing Day to give staff the day off – please will you do the same?”
Whalley said Organise members working at the four supermarkets had been “sounding the alarm” over the issue.
Tesco and Co-op both said staff would be working on a voluntary basis on Boxing Day, pointing out not all of them celebrated Christmas. They said stores would remain open to serve customers needing supplies.
Lidl said the majority of its stores would close on Boxing Day, while those in Scotland and inside the M25 would open for reduced hours.
Asda said it closed stores last Boxing Day as a special thank you to staff, but would be open for Sunday trading hours this year.
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