Unions have reacted furiously to reports that Tesco is set to slash thousands of jobs as part of a company restructuring programme.
Tesco is the UK’s biggest grocery chain and employs 324,000 in the UK and Ireland. It is reportedly trying to save £1.5bn – despite having made profits of £1.64 billion in it’s last financial year, a 28% rise in operating profits.
The company has confirmed that 9,000 jobs may go as it closes fresh food counters in around ninety stores and makes cuts in head office operations. The retailer, which has more than 3,400 stores, said it hoped to redeploy up to half of the 9,000 directly employed Tesco staff into other customer service roles.
Pauline Foulkes – Usdaw National Officer said: “Reports and speculation in the media about significant job cuts are distressing for Tesco staff and it is appalling that they should hear about the future of their jobs in this way.
“Usdaw is seeking an urgent meeting with the company to clarify the situation, to examine the details of what changes they are proposing and what this means for staff.
“Our priority will be to press Tesco to confirm the details of their proposed changes to stop any further speculation. In the meantime Usdaw’s officials and reps are on hand to support our members and further updates will be provided once we have further information”.
Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, has also called for urgent talks with Tesco bosses, following reports that the retail giant is planning to axe up to 15,000 jobs.
Unite is recognised at four distribution centres with about 1,000 members who deliver to stores across the UK. The centres are at Belfast, Didcot (Oxfordshire), Doncaster and Thurrock in Essex.
Unite national officer for retail distribution Adrian Jones said: “Our top priority this week is to arrange a meeting with Tesco’s management to get a clear picture of what the supermarket is planning, following media reports at the weekend that up to 15,000 jobs could be at risk.
“This is a very worrying time for our members who deliver to Tesco stores across the UK. While the reports centre on job losses in-store, such as at the bakeries and deli counters, we still need to know what this could mean for our members.
“What is required very quickly from Tesco is clarity on its intentions going forward. We will be giving our members, who are employed directly by Tesco, maximum support in the days and weeks ahead.”
Jason Tarry, the chief executive of Tesco’s UK and Irish business, said the market remained challenging and Tesco needed to adapt to remain competitive: “We’re making changes to our UK stores and head office to simplify what we do and how we do it, so we’re better able to meet the needs of our customers.”
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