Morrisons to give workers Boxing Day off

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Morrisons will close its almost 500 shops on Boxing Day giving more than 110,000 staff the day off.

The supermarket, the UK's fourth-largest, said it wanted to reward staff for working hard in the pandemic.

Last year, some supermarkets gave staff Boxing Day off as a thank you for their hard work keeping essential services running during the pandemic.

Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Pets at Home and The Entertainer were all shut on 26 December 2020.

"Everyone at Morrisons has worked incredibly hard over the last 18 months as we've responded to the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, serving our customers and local communities".

"So this year we're taking the exceptional step of closing all our supermarkets on Boxing Day, so as many colleagues as possible can enjoy a two day weekend break with family and friends".

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Morrisons staff are to be given Boxing Day off this year in appreciation of their hard work during the coronavirus pandemic. The supermarket chain told its 111,000 employees on Tuesday it will be shutting stores on December 26 for the first time in living memory.

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Joanne McGuiness, national officer at shop workers’ union Usdaw, said that the union welcomed Morrisons “doing the right thing by their staff with the closure of supermarkets on Boxing Day”.

“Key workers have done so much this year and we are asking retailers to give their staff the longest possible break over the festive season to provide them with a well-deserved breather. We don’t think this is too much to ask for,” she added.

The move by Morrisons has come just weeks before the conclusion of a takeover battle that will see the supermarket become a privately owned business.