Morrisons
The retail giant, which has a 126,000 strong workforce, explained the move comes as the firm looks to "modernise the way [the company's] stores are managed". Reuters

Supermarket giant Morrisons plans to slash 2,600 positions as part of a restructuring programme, prompting union officials to "safeguard jobs".

Joanne McGuinness, a Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers national office, said the next few weeks will be a worrying time for his Morrisons members.

"We will look in detail at the company's business case," said McGuinness in a statement.

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"Our priority will be to safeguard as many jobs as possible, maximise employment within the business and get the best possible outcome for our members affected by this restructuring."

The supermarket chain said the job losses are a result of the firm reducing layers of management, which Morrisons claimed will lead to better performance.

The retail giant, which has a 126,000 strong workforce, explained the move comes as the firm looks to "modernise the way [the company's] stores are managed".

"These changes will improve our focus on customers and lead to simpler, smarter ways of working," said Dalton Philips, the chief executive of Morrisons.

The Bradford headquartered employer also said it will create 1,000 jobs in Morrisons M local convenience stores and 3,000 positions in new supermarkets.