I’ve signed a petition calling on Marks and Spencer to reconsider its proposals to cut staff pay following the introduction of new national minimum wage, or so-called National Living Wage, of £8.50 an hour.

Under the company’s proposals, which are currently out for consultation, pension contributions would be reduced, along with pay for bank holidays and employees working anti-social hours. Long-established premium pay arrangements for Sunday working would also be cut. It is estimated that over 11,000 M&S workers could be affected by the changes.

The petition opposing the proposals has now received almost 100,000 signatures on change.org, and was presented to the senior management team at the company’s flagship Oxford Street store in London last week by a delegation of MPs led by Labour’s Siobhan McDonagh. The petition has also received support from the Usdaw and GMB trades unions, with the GMB criticising M&S for ‘giving with one hand and taking away with the other’ when it came to the introduction of the National Living Wage.

These proposals have understandably generated a great deal of anger and frustration among the loyal M&S workforce; many of whom would be set to lose out significantly both in terms of take-home pay and hard-earned pension contributions. If pushed through, these changes would damage M&S’ public reputation and leave a sour taste in the mouth for customers and the staff who serve them, particularly those who have worked for the company for the longest amount of time and seem to be disproportionately targeted by the proposed cuts.

You can sign the petition at:
https://www.change.org/p/marks-spencers-don-t-make-staff-cu…