Marks and Spencer proposes to cut staff
780 jobs are to be lost if British retailer Marks&Spencer gets away with its proposal to downsize operations as it was announced yesterday. UNI-Europa Commerce monitors the development and strongly supports affiliated USDAW in their attempt to have a dialogue with the company on the issue. As of now it is not clear that the current financial crisis necessitates such a move as claimed by Marks&Spencer.
USDAW made the following press statement on the issue:
| Usdaw shocked at job losses at Marks and Spencer 06 January 2009 Usdaw is shocked the news of job losses at Marks and Spencer has come so early in the New Year and also that once again staff are finding out via the media that their jobs may be under threat. John Gorle, National Officer said: “Usdaw is the union that represents thousands of Marks and Spencer staff and we want to know the business case for this decision and are seeking to meet with the company to have urgent meaningful consultation to allow us to fully represent any of our members that may be affected.” “We hope other retailers will not panic and announce major redundancies as their staff are their greatest asset and Usdaw will always encourage companies to take a long term view. Retailers will not want to lose experienced and trained staff and also redundancy can be a costly option and also lead to poor morale among the remaining workforce.” “It is important that retailers maintain staffing levels to ensure a high level of customer service and satisfaction otherwise they run the risk of customers going elsewhere.” “The retail sector has been through recessions before and will come through again. We are concerned about the effect of an economic downturn on the retail sector and will continue to support our members through the challenging times ahead. It is now more important than ever that Marks and Spencer staff join Usdaw, which has the experience and expertise to fully represent them.” |
| Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fourth biggest trade union, with over 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades. |