Usdaw is calling on Marks & Spencer to engage with it over the retailer’s plans to change staff wage structures.
The union wants to meet the retailer about the proposals and the union’s concerns over store closures after M&S promised an autumn update on the business, including its store estate.
“We have been contacted by many of our members in Marks and Spencer who are very concerned about the proposed big changes to their pay and pension, along with the threat of autumn store closures,” said Usdaw national officer David Gill. “Particularly as the company are threatening to sack any staff who do not accept the contractual changes.
“Usdaw is the independent trade union for M&S staff and we urge the company to get round the table and engage with us.”
However, M&S said it was consulting with its Business Involvement Group, (BIG), whose members are elected employees from every store and division, rather than with Usdaw.
“We are consulting with our elected representatives’ group; it is on-going for a minimum of 60 days from 25 May, or for as long as it needs to be,” a spokesman said.
M&S also confirmed that it had held talks with Labour backbencher Siobhain McDonagh who is leading a campaign against employers who she believes are stopping staff from getting the full NLW.
McDonagh has named companies who have proposed wage changes, including to Sundays and overtime rates, among them Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Bradgate Bakery, The Saucy Fish Co and B&Q.
“We can confirm that 2,700 members of staff will be at least £1,000 a year worse off, and 700 will be at least £2,000 a year worse off as a result of the proposals,” a spokeswoman for McDonagh’s office said. “This has been confirmed by M&S head office.”
Last month the retailer said it had used the introduction of the £7.20 NLW to look at pay. Its proposals included increasing the hourly pay rate for qualified customer assistants by 14.7% from £7.41 to £8.50. It also wanted to simplify premium pay for Sundays, where pre-2003 recruits currently get double time, those joining after 2003 but before 2010 get time-and-a-half, and those who joined since 2010 get no premium. Similar disparity exist with bank holiday pay. Premiums for ‘unsociable’ night-time hours also vary with times as well as joining dates and the company was now proposing a flat £3 per hour extra from 10pm to 6am.
M&S argued that about 90% of the 69,000 staff would be better off while those who would see a drop in pay were being offered a one-off payment so no-one was worse off for the first two years.
The company said its new approach would reward staff in a fair and consistent way while simplifying the business.
“The proposals include one of highest pay rates and one of the best benefit packages in UK retail,” a spokesman said. “We are now consulting with our colleagues and listening carefully to their feedback.”
The company said one of its offers on the table for those staff who could not agree with the proposals was to terminate their contracts but to then re-engage them on new ones.
No comments yet