The management of Makro Cash and Carry Polska has informed trade unions of a possible elimination of up to 250 positions in its wholesale halls and of changes at the Business Support Centre. Talks with the employer are scheduled for Tuesday, 13 October.
The company-level organisation of NSZZ “Solidarność” at Makro Cash and Carry Polska announced the management’s plans on 8 October. As the Interia portal reported, citing a union statement signed by its chairman, Daniel Cichocki, the possible elimination of up to 250 positions in the halls and changes at the Business Support Centre are under discussion.
Where things stand
According to the statement, quoted by Propertynews.pl, no final decisions regarding individual employees have been made yet. Cichocki urged staff to remain calm and patient, after many employees had contacted the union.
As Cichocki announced (quoted by Wiadomoscihandlowe.pl), the unions want to first limit the scale of the layoffs and protect as many jobs as possible. They also demand detailed information about the locations, departments and positions that may be affected by the reduction. According to Puls HR, the demands also include protective packages, the option of voluntary departures and additional solutions for people in particularly difficult situations.
Wiadomoscihandlowe.pl reports that the company has confirmed the start of union consultations on collective redundancies. Available accounts do not specify which halls and departments will be affected by the cuts.
Another round of cuts
Bankier.pl notes that from the start of the new strategy in 2023 until the end of September 2024, the number of full-time positions at Makro Cash and Carry Polska fell by more than 100. At the end of last year, the chain closed four halls: in Zabrze, Rybnik, Toruń and Słupsk. The company explained the earlier reductions by rising operating costs and an economic slowdown among professional customers, including in retail and food service. The Dlahandlu.pl portal points out that in the last financial year the company posted a net loss of PLN 173 million.
What it means
In Poland, collective redundancies are preceded by consultations with unions, and the figure of 250 represents an upper limit, not a final decision. They concern employees of the Makro halls and the support office, but the list of specific locations and positions is not yet known. Its shape, as well as the terms of departures, including severance pay, will only be decided in talks between management and the unions. As of publication, no official company statement on the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting has been found.
Similar cuts, though in a different industry, have been announced by global corporations, as we wrote in connection with the announcement of layoffs at HP.
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