Home » Business News • UK Business News • UK Employment news » Waitrose Accused Of Reducing Redundancy Pay For Warehouse Workers

Waitrose Accused Of Reducing Redundancy Pay For Warehouse Workers

By Nithya Bose in Business News, posted May 7, 2024

Waitrose is facing criticism for allegedly reducing redundancy payments for its warehouse workers.

These workers are at risk due to the upcoming closure of an Enfield warehouse, known internally as “Project Hazel.”

Earlier in the year, the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, informed employees of plans to reduce redundancy payouts, effectively lowering the cost of dismissing staff.

Initially, in January, the company proposed a more generous redundancy package.

However, affected workers are now being offered only one week's pay per year of service, in addition to the statutory payouts mandated by the government.

This shift in policy has sparked discontent among the workforce.

Workers argue “Project Hazel” had been in the works before the revised redundancy terms were announced.

Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career

They proposed that the original, more favorable terms should apply to their severance packages.

Despite this, the John Lewis Partnership rejected their counterproposal.

The partnership maintains that the decision to close the warehouse was formally made on March 6, after the new terms for redundancy pay were introduced.

The partnership also announced in April that several hundred customer service employees working on the Waitrose account at Foundever, a key outsourcing partner, were no longer facing redundancy.

This decision follows an earlier plan to reduce staffing at Foundever to cut costs, which has now been partially reversed.

Follow us on YouTube, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook