Don't make staff cuts to pay living wage

Movement:National Living Wage

The Issue

I have worked at Marks and Spencer for nearly 43 years. I started in the company as a sales advisor and was promoted to a manager for 39 years, working in a number of stores in different management roles. I am a valued member of staff, respected by my team, peers and senior management. I have a long history as a proud M&S ambassador.

I have always been so loyal which is why it feels upsetting to have to speak out now. 

In February the Government announced that the minimum wage would be increased to £8.50 an hour, and renamed the 'national living wage', because this was the amount deemed sufficient for a person to live on. In order to meet this new minimum wage Marks and Spencer are attempting to make cuts to employees' income in other areas.

They have announced a consultation period -- without a clear timeline -- proposing the following cuts:

- Cuts to pay on Sundays, Bank Holidays and for working after 9pm, which we are currently paid extra for because of the unsociable hours.

- They are targeting staff who have been here the longest, staff who may have no other option but to take the cut because they have been working in their role for most of their lives, staff like me. My personal loss will be £1366 per year. Some of my colleagues will be much worse off.

Siobhain McDonagh MP has put this to the Prime Minister during PMQs:

"11,000 of M&S’s most loyal employees, many with over 14 years service, are about to get a serious pay cut – cuts to Sunday, bank holiday and antisocial hours pay, all made on the back of the national living wage, means they’ll take home less next year than they do this year."

- 11,000 of us will also have our pensions affected after they proposed closing the final salary pension scheme to new contributions. Existing members would be moved to a scheme which does not guarantee a set pension on retirement.

I’m calling on Marks and Spencer to think again and scrap these proposals that are targeting their most loyal staff. I am not alone in my views, and I have no bitter motivation -- I have enjoyed the best years of my life at M&S. I simply want to protect the values that M&S staff have come to expect from our employer.

*I've written this petition under a pseudonym to protect myself at work

avatar of the starter
Irene HattonPetition Starter
Media enquiries
This petition had 99,532 supporters

The Issue

I have worked at Marks and Spencer for nearly 43 years. I started in the company as a sales advisor and was promoted to a manager for 39 years, working in a number of stores in different management roles. I am a valued member of staff, respected by my team, peers and senior management. I have a long history as a proud M&S ambassador.

I have always been so loyal which is why it feels upsetting to have to speak out now. 

In February the Government announced that the minimum wage would be increased to £8.50 an hour, and renamed the 'national living wage', because this was the amount deemed sufficient for a person to live on. In order to meet this new minimum wage Marks and Spencer are attempting to make cuts to employees' income in other areas.

They have announced a consultation period -- without a clear timeline -- proposing the following cuts:

- Cuts to pay on Sundays, Bank Holidays and for working after 9pm, which we are currently paid extra for because of the unsociable hours.

- They are targeting staff who have been here the longest, staff who may have no other option but to take the cut because they have been working in their role for most of their lives, staff like me. My personal loss will be £1366 per year. Some of my colleagues will be much worse off.

Siobhain McDonagh MP has put this to the Prime Minister during PMQs:

"11,000 of M&S’s most loyal employees, many with over 14 years service, are about to get a serious pay cut – cuts to Sunday, bank holiday and antisocial hours pay, all made on the back of the national living wage, means they’ll take home less next year than they do this year."

- 11,000 of us will also have our pensions affected after they proposed closing the final salary pension scheme to new contributions. Existing members would be moved to a scheme which does not guarantee a set pension on retirement.

I’m calling on Marks and Spencer to think again and scrap these proposals that are targeting their most loyal staff. I am not alone in my views, and I have no bitter motivation -- I have enjoyed the best years of my life at M&S. I simply want to protect the values that M&S staff have come to expect from our employer.

*I've written this petition under a pseudonym to protect myself at work

avatar of the starter
Irene HattonPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Responded
“I am posting to give the details of our pay and premium proposals and assure colleagues, customers and other stakeholders that we are listening carefully during the consultation period. We have proposed a significant base rate pay increase for our Customer Assistants from £7.41 to £8.50 outside London and £9.65 in Greater London. As you can see, we already pay above the National Living Wage of £7.20 and the proposed rate is also above the Living Wage Foundation’s £8.25 outside London and £9.40 for Greater London. It would give us one of the highest hourly rates in UK retail which would complement one of the most competitive benefits packages. There’s also proposed pay rises for our Section Coordinators and Section Managers. We need to do this in a way that our business can afford, so we’re also proposing to simplify our approach to premium payments. This includes removing Sunday premiums, introducing one standard, premium payment for working on Bank Holidays and one time window for unsociable hours. The savings would be invested in the proposed higher hourly rates along with a significant contribution from the company. We believe this proposed new approach would reward our people in a fair and consistent way and help us to attract and retain the best talent so we can continue to provide great service for our customers. The vast majority of our people would be better off under the proposals. However a small but significant number of people, some of whom have worked for M&S for a long time, would be affected financially by the proposals and we understand that they are disappointed. We have proposed measures that would ensure that nobody would be worse off in the first two years and we are listening carefully to their feedback. The consultation is ongoing. I want to be clear that we are considering all the counter proposals that have been put to us and we will continue to talk and listen to colleagues across the UK. The consultation plays a crucial role in finalising our plans. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Sacha Berendji Director of Retail Marks & Spencer”

Petition Updates

Share this petition

Petition created on 26 July 2016