A new pay and conditions deal for shop workers at high street staple Hema involves slashing the maximum earnings of new employees, broadcaster NOS said on Friday evening.

The deal, agreed with the CNV trade union federation but not the FNV, means a shop worker will only be able to earn a maximum of €2,055 gross a month, rather than €2,766 as at present, NOS said.

The maximum salary of a branch manager will go down by over €1,000 to €3,148. The new pay rates will not apply to current staff.

Hema admitted that maximum wages have gone down sharply. ‘The main difference is that new members of staff will join a different salary scale and have difference bonuses for irregular working hours,’ a spokesman told the broadcaster.

‘Our customers are increasingly doing their shopping during the most expensive periods. We want to keep our wage costs in balance with our income while remaining an attractive employer when compared with other retailers.

Hema was taken over by businessman Marcel Boekhoorn at the end of last year. The other measures he has taken to restore profitability including halving the size of the management board, selling the in-house bakery and rebranding stores abroad as Hema Amsterdam.