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The retail group of the United Kingdom of John Lewis and Waitrose faces demands to restore a bonus of the staff after a three -year drought as the association tries to change.
Some unhappy workers have shared an open letter and launched a petition through Organize, a platform that supports campaigns led by workers, asking the bosses to bring bonds. The last time the association paid a bonus was for the year until January 2022.
The campaign has attracted almost 4,000 signatures, including the current and previous employees of John Lewis and Waitrose, as well as the members of the public.
The John Lewis association directs 36 department stores, as well as the Waitrose supermarket chain, and is owned by all its 69,000 staff. Some employees claim that this association model is eroding due to the group of the group not to pay a bonus despite returning to profitability.
“We are working harder than ever, with less personnel and growing workloads, but obtaining less recognition,” they wrote. “The bonus meant more than just money. It was a sign that the company saw and appreciated us.”
“It is discouraging to see the bonus [paused] When so many partners. . . They have worked extremely hard and remained committed during challenging times, ”an employee told Organize. Another said that other companies offered better salaries and advantages without being a society.
Earlier this year, the retailer said that he would not pay an employee bonus again, although he had informed a 73 percent increase in earnings before taxes at £ 97mn for the year until January 25, with a 3 percent increase in sales to £ 12.8 billion.
The retailer had returned to profitability the previous year after three years of losses.
John Lewis said at that time that he did not believe that “it would be correct” to pay a bonus for last year, since he continued to reinvest in the efforts to revive his fortune after a challenging period, and after the payment had increased by a total of £ 114 million earlier this year.
President Jason Tarry, who spent more than three decades in Tesco and happened to Dame Sharon White in September, said in March that he was “determined to pay a bonus as soon as we could.”
The group also said that it would take a success of £ 40 million this year as a result of the increases to the contributions of the National Employers Insurance.
The demands to restore the bonus are ahead of the group’s general meeting on June 12.
A person close to John Lewis said that the AGM would focus on corporate governance instead of being a discussion forum in the same way that is for the companies that appear. They added that the debate had already been robust about the bonus with the employees, who also have the opportunity to roast management during meetings twice a year.
The John Lewis association said it was proud of its benefit package and that the bonus remained an important characteristic of its employee -owned model, along with its democratic structure. “Our partners understand that we are focused on improving their base payment and investing in our business, so that we can serve our customers better.”