Retail giant John Lewis laid off 120 of its temporary workers just two days before Christmas - leaving some staff confused about their pay next month.
It is understood that the retailer made the cuts partly in response to a drop sales following the Omicron Covid outbreak.
In autumn, the retailer hired 4,000 temporary staff to help with the Christmas rush at outlets of John Lewis and Waitrose, which it owns.
But the retailer laid off 120 of its temporary staff early, leading to confusion over whether they will qualify for the £500 bonus.
One frustrated mother took to social media to say her son, who is disabled, was laid off by John Lewis on December 23.
He believed it meant he would miss out on the £500 bonus and the extra week of wages he thought he was due.
The mum then hit out at John Lewis for launching its Boxing Day sales a few days later - showing customers the generosity it had not shown many staff.
On Twitter, she said: "On December 32 2021 all temp staff were notified that they were no longer required.
"No attendance bonus or further weeks wages.
"John Lewis online customers get bargains [and] discounts levied on the backs on the temp staff's hard work and commitment to the contract."
A John Lewis spokesperson said some workers dismissed on December 23 would get bonuses - if they qualified.
The spokesperson said: "Many of the staff had contracts running until December 30, with a £500 bonus if they completed all their shifts.
"We take this very seriously and have been working hard with the agency to better understand what may have happened in this case and to resolve any confusion that may have been caused. We have also confirmed that the individual has been paid in full for their time and are very prepared to take further action as necessary."
Yesterday The Mirror reported that Brits are shunning Boxing Day sales on the high street due to Omicron fears - but are spending more than ever shopping online instead.
Boxing Day sales are traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, but research shows Brits are staying home because of worries about Covid-19.
Trips to physical shops in high streets, shopping centres and retail parks are down more than 45% on pre-pandemic levels, according to retail analysts Springboard.
Adding to the low footfall, many retailers gave their staff Boxing Day off as a thankyou for working during Covid-19 - including John Lewis and Next.
Bad weather across much of the country also didn't help - nor the fact that Boxing Day fell on a Sunday, which is the day of the week Brits are most likely to stay home.
Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle said: "A major reason for the significantly lower footfall compared with 2019 will be due to consumers’ ongoing nervousness about the Covid infection rate.
“This will have been compounded by the fact that a few multiple retailers opted not to open [on Boxing Day], which will have deterred some shoppers.
"In addition, Sunday generally has the lowest footfall on any day in the week, so a comparison with 2019 when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday will always have meant that footfall would be lower than two years ago.”
However, Brits are still planning on snapping up sale bargains, but are increasingly looking online from the safety of their homes.
*This article and headline has been amended after publication to clarify that no bonuses were withdrawn in response to the job cuts.
