Oxford author Philip Pullman has backed furloughed Waterstones staff who were told they will not receive any increase to their wages until shops can reopen. He is among those who have signed a petition calling on the book chain to help workers who are being paid below minimum wage on the scheme. A petition signed by more than 1,500 people so far, including more than 100 Waterstones workers, has been published on Organise. Addressed to Waterstones managing director James Daunt and chief operating officer Kate Skipper, it says that the majority of Waterstones staff are employed either on or very close to the minimum wage, and that upon being furloughed, they find themselves “plunged beneath this line and into financial uncertainty”.