Morrisons shed close to 5,000 jobs during the past year as part of a sweeping turnaround programme led by chief executive Rami Baitieh, yet the supermarket's debt pile has continued to grow despite the significant reduction in its workforce. The cuts were aimed at streamlining operations and reducing costs as the grocer attempts to claw back market share lost to rivals including Aldi, Lidl and a resurgent Asda.
5,000
Jobs cut at Morrisons in the past year ---
The scale of the job losses places Morrisons among the largest single-employer redundancy events seen in UK retail in recent years. Despite the headcount reductions, the financial results suggest that the savings generated have not been sufficient to offset the wider pressures weighing on the business, including its substantial private equity-era debt burden inherited from the Clayton, Dubilier and Rice acquisition in 2021.
Baitieh, who took over as chief executive in late 2023, has been vocal about the need for a fundamental reset of the business. The turnaround programme spans pricing, store standards, supplier relationships and organisational structure, but rising debts signal that the road to recovery remains long and the costs of transformation are still mounting.
Why this matters if you're facing redundancy
If you have been made redundant from Morrisons as part of this programme, it is worth understanding exactly when your role was formally proposed for redundancy, because that date determines your rights around consultation and statutory redundancy pay. With close to 5,000 roles cut across what is likely to have been multiple sites and waves of redundancy, there is a real possibility that collective consultation obligations applied at your location -- meaning 45 days' minimum notice before the first dismissal where 100 or more redundancies were proposed at one establishment.
It is also worth asking whether Morrisons followed a fair selection process, whether it genuinely considered suitable alternative roles within the business, and whether your redundancy pay calculation used the correct weekly pay figure. Given the company's ongoing financial pressure, if enhanced redundancy terms were offered to earlier leavers, check whether the same terms applied to your cohort. Speaking to a trade union representative or an employment adviser can help you establish whether the process followed was lawful.
Because 20 or more roles are affected, your employer should be running a collective consultation lasting at least 30 days before any dismissal takes effect. These thresholds apply per establishment, so the exact position depends on how the cuts are spread across sites.
FairEnough is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Always seek independent legal advice before signing any documents. Information shown is for general guidance based on UK statutory entitlements.
