// John Lewis and Waitrose employees claimed they receive less than the “real living wage”
// The removal of staff bonuses came as the company sought a radical turnaround
The John Lewis Partnership has faced complaints of “poverty wages” after the suspension of staff bonuses.
The removal of bonuses came as the company sought a radical turnaround.
Some John Lewis and Waitrose employees claimed they receive less than the “real living wage” of £9.50 per hour, or £10.85 in London.
READ MORE: John Lewis reveals Christmas shop 4 months early as searches rise 105%
Workers shared letters describing financial difficulties and have launched an open petition via the Organise platform urging the firm to review their rates.
The campaign, which claims one in five John Lewis workers do not receive the real living wage has attracted nearly 30,000 signatories.
The petition says: “The John Lewis Partnership prides itself (and sells itself) on being employee-owned, which is supposed to make it a fairer, more ethical business.
“There’s nothing fair or ethical about paying your employees less than a living wage. The Partnership must change this and pay all Partners what we deserve.”
John Lewis said the hourly rate for all non-management partners was £10.32, above the “real living wage”, for the majority of UK staff.
Minimum rates of pay are on average 15 per cent higher then the official national minimum wage.
John Lewis said it has committed to raising the pay to at least the real living wage when it makes an annual profit of more than £200 million.
The retailer is enduring turbulence as it closes stores and cuts costs.
Its prized staff bonus was scrapped last year for the first time since 1953 and will not be reinstated until 2022 at the earliest.
The retailer is scheduled to report its half-year results next week.
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12 Comments. Leave new
Their ethos is to work you to the bone for a pittance wage whilst the management swan around all day long going from one meeting to another with their clipboards doing nothing!
haha – nothing says JLP to me more, than managers clutching their clipboards trying to look important
Have just left after 13 years, best decision ever made, wish I had left earlier. Pay is a pittance, just like previous comments, you work hard, get no recognition and no pay rises as managers will always find a loophole to not give you a rise. Partner owned ethos is a joke!
What a load of bullies especially management undermining partners calling partners whilst in work utterly discussing all fake back stabbers do anything to get higher to partners fake fake people only out for themselves liars you get your calmer
They recruit many times because many of partners resigned because of wages, some of partner get more money on Sunday while other no this is not fair.
Plentey of other shops paying minimum wages and working you to the bone
Doesn’t help the JL gave the directors a 10 % bond but nothing to staff
John Lewis have always under payed there staff.
The big joke is they are the only retail company that still has Performance Related Pay!
With no Carrots on the table, this is like sending a old Donkey down the Pit and working it to death. Shame on this greedy company.
Partnership, more like Dictatorship.
30K unhappy partners is a real blow. Once you have lost the confidence of your staff you are
really in trouble. The senior management seem to have no awareness of the result of their
actions.
The senior leadership team do not have a clue what they are doing. Look at mess they have made of Leyland RDC . And they have the cheek to say it’s down to brexit !.
No it’s down to there own incompetence.
I just left after 15 years as it’s getting much worse and like another comment on there, yes the management are really lazy and deliberately tries to put my performance as underperforming so not to get a wage rise which my colleagues were shocked by so now they have lost their best food coach and left with inadequate ordering
So that is why my local John Lewis has recruitment banners oitside. Not a good look.