JOHN Lewis staff have reportedly missed out on £500 bonuses after they were let go days before Christmas.
The shopping giant had hired more than 4,000 temporary staff for the festive season – and promised them the lump sum if they completed all their shifts.
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But about 120 workers were told they were no longer needed just two days before Christmas, The Times reports.
One mum of a worker, who is disabled, took to social media when her son was axed and claimed he missed out on a weeks’ wages and the £500 bonus.
On Twitter, she said: “On December 23 2021 all temp staff were notified that they were no longer required.
“No attendance bonus or further weeks wages.
“John Lewis online customers get bargains [and] discounts levied on the backs on the temp staff’s hard work and commitment to the contract.”
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John Lewis confirmed the temporary workers were let go and said only those who were eligible would still get a bonus.
On Boxing Day thousands of eager shoppers across the country braved the cold to score a bargain – with some waiting outside stores as early as 5am.
Retail experts say Omicron has sent shoppers online as the number of bargain hunters looking for Boxing Day sales on the high street plummeted to almost half of pre-pandemic levels.
Footfall at shopping sites across the UK on Boxing Day up to noon was 45 per cent below the 2019 level, according to data from industry analyst Springboard.
But the British Retail Consortium said that, although many consumers shunned the shops, the sector could see a boost due to online trade.
BRC spokesperson Tom Holder said: “The spread of Omicron across the UK has increased the share of spending made online as many consumers avoided town and city centres.
“While spending on travel and hospitality may be lower than their pre-pandemic levels, retailers are waiting to see whether this leads to higher spending on retail goods, particularly food and homeware.”
In central London, footfall was 67 per cent lower than 2019 numbers, while it was 58 per cent below 2019 in other major UK cities.
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London’s West End specifically – home to many of the UK’s flagship stores – saw a drop of almost half of pre-pandemic levels on Boxing Day.
Market towns fared slightly better, seeing a 12 per cent decrease from 2019 shopping traffic, while there was only a 7 per cent drop in outer London.
A John Lewis spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about this. All of our temporary workers are recruited via a third party agency and exact contract lengths are deliberately unspecified due to the uncertainty of festive work requirements, which is an annual occurrence for all retailers during the festive period.
“However, we take this very seriously and have been working hard with the agency to better understand what may have happened in this case and to resolve any confusion that may have been caused.
“We have also confirmed that the individual has been paid in full for their time and are very prepared to take further action as necessary. Further, any individuals who were released on the 23rd who qualified for the bonus payment will be paid in January as originally agreed with them.
“Our agency has been in contact with the family to resolve the matter and his mother has since tweeted thanking us for our response and reaching a resolution.”
Boxing Day sales shoppers are showing off their hauls – and one woman has spent all her money in Lush (and has the mammoth receipt to prove it)
