With supermarket colleagues going above and beyond for their communities throughout the pandemic, the only option is to give them a better pay deal, writes Morrisons CEO David Potts
They say it’s always darkest just before dawn. And it does seem pretty dark at the moment with a new lockdown, surging Covid cases, a more contagious strain of the disease evolving and the NHS at full stretch – and then some.
Lots of families and communities are still reeling from the disruption, worry and – in too many cases – terrible loss.
But the vaccine does mean that dawn is coming and amid the pain and the disruption, there are some reasons for optimism later this year.
“Respect and admiration do not butter any bread. So I’m pleased we can now say that if you work at a Morrisons supermarket you will earn at least £10 an hour”
In retail, one of those reasons is the continued renaissance of the British supermarket and the re-evaluation of the value of the key workers who have gone above and beyond throughout the health emergency to feed the nation.
We have a saying at Morrisons: “A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.” In this new phase of the pandemic, as the vaccine rollout gathers pace, it’s right that we take a hard look at pay.
Viewing it with the same eyes that witnessed the work of our store colleagues during the pandemic, the only conclusion that you can come to is that, as we start to come out of this crisis, our first action must be to increase colleague pay.
Although not many good things have come from the Covid crisis, the renewed respect and admiration that we have seen across the country for supermarket workers is one of them.
But respect and admiration do not butter any bread. So I’m pleased that this week we can now say that if you work at a Morrisons supermarket you will earn at least £10 an hour. Everywhere. No small print, no asterisks, no conditions. Ten pounds an hour.
It is an important and symbolic milestone and, having been ahead of us all for so long, it is great that we have now reached it. But this marks a new beginning of the pay journey and not the destination.
We have seen such dedication, bravery and community spirit in the last 10 months that you cannot help but be inspired by it.
“Supermarket colleagues of all stripes across the country have been magnificent”
During Covid – especially when the virus is as rampant as it is now – just turning up for work is often hard. But turning up, doing a brilliant job, feeding the nation and making the shops safe with a smile on your face is pretty heroic.
We have seen countless acts of kindness and compassion that have made a particular difference this year. Such as when a pregnant customer’s house was struck by lightning; our Cannock store made them a hamper of baby clothes and supplies to make sure the mother had essentials for her baby.
But stories like that are not unique to Morrisons. Supermarket colleagues of all stripes across the country have been magnificent.
While I’m sure that when this is all over the grocery sector will be back to knocking lumps out of each other in healthy and friendly competition, for now, I would just like to pay tribute to the massed ranks of Britain’s finest who have done such important work in our supermarkets through such a long and incredibly difficult period.
As we wait for that dawn to appear, we are urging everyone to continue to be kind, even as nerves are frayed and patience wears thin. Our colleagues have earned this new pay deal – and their status as key workers – many times over.
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