// Pret a Manger staff consider strike action after the coffee shop chain implements pay cuts
// Staff were told they would not be paid for breaks and a service bonus would be axed
Pret a Manger staff are reportedly considering strike action after being informed that their pay will be permanently cut despite the easing of trading restrictions.
The vast majority of the workers who earn basic pay of the legal minimum £8.91 an hour, were told they would temporarily not be paid for breaks and a service bonus would be axed in July last year following the pandemic.
However, Pret has now told workers that the cut to pay for breaks is permanent, The Guardian reported.
READ MORE: Pret a Manger to launch shop-in-shops in Tesco supermarkets
The service bonus was reinstated in April this year at 50p an hour, down from £1 before the pandemic struck. Workers have been told that change is also permanent.
The combined changes for a worker on an eight-hour shift, including a legally required half-hour break, who regularly gets a mystery shopper bonus amount to an 11 per cent pay cut per shift versus pre-pandemic levels.
Pret said it was having to keep salaries down after the pandemic had “a big impact on our business”.
The coffee shop chain axed its dividend payment to shareholders and in April warned of “material uncertainties” over whether it can continue.
As a result of Covid, Pret permanently closed 74 outlets in the UK last year and 22 in the US, while shareholders invested £185 million of additional funding into the company in February.
Pret said it is “still trading significantly below pre-pandemic levels” but will continue to review benefits.
“This is in no way a reflection of the hard work of our teams, and we’re incredibly grateful for their dedication and commitment,” Pret said.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
