Morrisons Second managment restructure in a year.

[Droolinggimp]

As I work (again) for Morrisons I am a member of the colleagues facebook group. Just a few mins ago I saw this posted.

I love my job! I'm a manager, a regional trainer and a fishmonger as well as a butcher.
I have been fortunate enough have won Master craft and have also been in the final 3 times. I've also represented Morrisons and competed in national competition's that I have also be awarded trophies certificates etc for my work.
Worked with a production company to produce a set of educational films to teach children of various ages where fish come from and what we do in store.
I've worked hard to improve my knowledge gaining a city and Guilds qualification in fishmongery with a high distinction as well as competing in local fishmonger competitions and demonstrating to crowds at events all in my own time.
I have an ongoing passion for this fish industry and wanted to progress!
But today I have had the final decision that I would be better suited as Cafe Manager.
Feeling completely let down, out of pocket.

Having been through the first restructure and took voluntary redundancy I know what people are going through. This second one is slightly different but I can still feel the pain in fellow employees.

I ( meat and fish manager) were replaced by the Cake Shop supervisor and the Fresh Prep (salad/sandwiches etc) supervisor. The CS supervisor used to be part of my fish team so knows fish inside and out, meat, not too good. Probably a few weeks and could do most of the work involved in supermarket butchery. The Fresh Prep girl was a very good manager/supervisor on there. Great hygiene and well run department but dizzy as ****. Typical blond and that is not being whatever-ist against her, she knows it and plays on it bless her. but did not suit the job (fish and meat) at all. I found out not long into my new found family life during last summer she left due to a few reasons. Probably forced out knowing my store.

It beggers belief what goes through peoples heads when making these decisions. Why move a manager of fish/meat skilled such as the above quoted person and stick him on cafe???? where the **** is the reasoning behind it??

It has really ****ed me off. I don't know the guy. I feel for him though.

I love working for M (my decision to leave last year was a personal one and has benefited me soooo much) and going back has made my life so much better too (I am now a butcher instead of fish manager/meat manager). Less hours, no meetings, finish on time regardless of a pending visit by the bloody Queen or not. However just like any other big company, you get ****ted on if you are any higher than staff. like me!!!

Rant over. TLDR: bloke dead good at skilled job and told to to flip burgers instead.

 

[Droolinggimp]

thats the thing. They have cut down on chiefs but not in creased the indians.. Dont get me wrong, its great to work there, at my store anyway.

 

[Droolinggimp]

they dont need over qualified people running butchery/fish in a supermarket,
all they need is minimum wage "servers"

They do need skilled staff, also it depends on what you would class as over qualified.

I am Meat and Fish trained and have been for 22 years. I have trained lots of people up over the years and they have gone onto be come some of the best the company has. 90% of Morrisons store have large fish and meat counters where we serve. We have a great deal of customers who come in and ask for advice on whats best to go with this wine, these vegetables etc. We have to use our skills and knowledge and give them what they require. Without us skilled staff/managers the company will struggle against the other supermarkets.

The example in the OP is a bad decision and is now being taken higher up with the intention for that manager to retain his position. The amount of posts on that facebook thread was amazing. Inc some people higher up. We don't know who decided this management move all we know is it was a bad one.

Saying we don't need skilled workers is like saying you don't need chefs, but staff who can follow a cook book. IMO anyway. Its the same thing.

 

[Droolinggimp]

Morrisons butchers/mongers aren't real butchers/mongers. All they do is pack up and price pre-butchered meat. They wouldn't last five minutes in a proper high class butchers shop.

If you are proper old skool butcher then maybe you do have the skills, but if you started your butchering career at Morrisons, then above applies.

Wrong (in a way). All butchers are trained butchers or they are under training at this time. They can't be expected to pick a knife up and break down a side. Many of them are from proper butchers before coming to Morrisons. Staff who are trained up in store also go on advanced meat/butchery masterclasses. They get to train with very skilled butchers/fishmongers. Attend college, actually have to know and learn each and every cut, where it's from and how to cook it. They are taught farming methods and how animals are transported. They even visit our abattoirs to see the real deal if they so wish. They actually have to break down each species into every cut and also display on a selling counter to show off the skills they have learnt.

Yes, you will get some butchers in a store that have not had this training yet but they will be put on it and become pretty much equal to a classic trained butcher old skool. It's not a one week course, iirc it last approx one year, maybe a little shorter. I learnt all my trade with a butcher of 60 years. He taught me everything when I was 18 years old. I was with him for a little over a year.

At Morrisons, yes 90% of our meat is vac-packed into primals apart from Lamb which is the only one that has the need for actual butchery in various forms. Knowing where to tunnel topside pipes out and seam knuckles into 3, making guard of honour, tunneling leg of lamb, cutting Oxtail precisely are all skills that a good butcher will know and I would imagine 99% of our butchers know this.

It's not all cutting that makes you a butcher, knowing cooking times, what wine goes with what cut, how to cook steaks, joints etc. How to make gravy etc its all a skill we need to know. At my store I am pretty much to go to man for customer inquiries regarding what to do with meat and fish. I am now working on the meat department and not fish like I was last year but I am still called up to help out with customers.

I never actually entered any competition or got any accolades like the quoted person in the OP but I would imagine if I did I would be pretty much level with that guy. (nice guy I spoke to him of FB the other day).

This is not a personal attack to you btw, please bare that in mind when I say this but people who say this about our butchers know **** all about the company and what they give us or what we do to be where we are. Only those who have been there know. I don't actually know if you work or worked for Morrisons but please do NOT tarnish our butchers with the same brush as the one you are using. It's the same as customers moaning about a fish monger not being able to skin a dover or lemonsole, "you're a fishmonger you should know how to do it. The adverts say you are fully trained" to which I tell staff if they are confronted like this to basically say 'we got to start some where' you can't get trained up in a day. This applies to EVERY job role in EVERY company.

 

[Droolinggimp]

That's fair enough, maybe you had bad luck of the draw. I don't know of any store without fully trained But/****. What store was it if you don't mind me asking?