The chancellor might be blamed - but Sainsbury's job cuts must be seen in the wider context
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Pity the 3,000 Sainsbury's employees whose roles are set to be eliminated because of today's big jobs announcement from the UK's number two supermarket retailer. Not only are they potentially going to lose their jobs, just as the bills from Christmas are rolling in, but they also now face becoming a political football in an unedifying debate.
For it is almost inevitable that Rachel Reeves's political rivals are going to cite the chancellor's Halloween budget as the main reason why these roles are being removed. They will point out that, just days after the chancellor hit businesses with a hike in employer's national insurance contributions (NICs), Sainsbury's was among the first of the big-name employers to warn of the potential consequences.
Simon Roberts, the Sainsbury's chief executive, said: "There will be difficult decisions to take as a result.". They will further point out that, earlier this month while unveiling the company's Christmas trading update, Mr Roberts repeated that warning and said the way the increase was announced gave businesses insufficient time to prepare for the hike in taxes.
However, before the chancellor's critics get too carried away, it is worth remembering that Mr Roberts and his peers at employers like Tesco, Next and Marks & Spencer were chiefly warning that the rise in NICs would be inflationary and lead to higher shop prices.
