Morrisons to cut nearly 300 jobs and scrap four-day week across logistics

Morrisons is looking to cut nearly 300 roles as part of a management restructure of its logistics network, The Grocer can reveal.

The plans will also see the supermarket scrap its four-day working week across its supply chain.

The proposals, which affect all seven of its company-run distribution centres, will see Morrisons consolidate the number of warehouse manager roles at each site under a single operations manager role. It will also remove team manager roles in its ambient supply chain, reduce roles in its chilled chamber and reduce the number of managers and co-ordinators working within canteen teams.

In their place Morrisons will introduce new hourly paid roles and shift manager positions. 

According to documents seen by The Grocer, the supermarket notified workers last week that all warehouse manager, team manager, canteen co-ordinator and people advisor roles would be put up for redundancy, an initial 279 people in total. The biggest proportion is at its Swan Valley DC, which handles products for Morrisons’ wholesale business, where 62 positions will be lost. 

However, Morrisons warned the “number of possible redundancies may increase” following the selection process, which will be based on criteria such as disciplinary record, performance and interviews. The supermarket will seek to offer workers alternative roles if possible, as part of the consultation process, which is currently underway.

Morrisons is hoping to have completed the redundancy process by 21 April. Bellshill is the only logistics site not affected by the proposals, as it is run by a third party.

Alongside the management restructure, Morrisons said it will also reverse its four-day working pattern for the majority of its warehouse and logistics support employees, who would move to a “five-over-seven” day working week from 22 April. 

Under the current working model, which was introduced in 2021, logistics colleagues split a 40-hour work week across a four-day pattern. It follows a similar shake-up at Morrisons HQ in January that saw support switch to a ‘four-and-a-half-day week’ from a four-day week, after complaints that the flexible four-day structure required them to work Saturdays.

Logistics and support teams would continue to work Saturdays, but would spread their time over five eight-hour shifts a week, according to the proposals seen by The Grocer. Shift managers would continue with the four-over-seven working pattern, but would see their shifts split between two distinct periods of the week, either Sunday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Sunday.

“As part of our ongoing plans to speed up and simplify the business, Morrisons has today announced the start of a consultation programme on some changes to the operations and people teams across seven logistics sites excluding our Bellshill site,” a Morrisons spokeswoman told The Grocer. 

“The proposed restructuring will lead to a more responsive and simpler structure that will be better able to support our retail operations seven days a week.”

New CEO Rami Baitiéh is looking to push ahead with plans to shave £700m from the business by 2026, as owner CD&R battles with a mountain of debt following its £7bn buyout in 2021.