British general trade union GMB has accused supermarket chain Asda of ‘threatening tens of thousands’ of workers with job cuts if they failed to sign Contract 6.
As part of the latest contract, workers are forced to work on bank holidays in return for £9.00 per hour pay rates, and will not be paid for any breaks.
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According to the union, the contract was voluntary earlier, however, workers are now warned of losing their jobs if they fail to sign it.
GMB conducted a consultative ballot recently and identified that 93% of respondents did not agree with the contract changes saying that the changes were being forced on them.
GMB national officer Gary Carter said: “It’s a total outrage. Asda bosses are threatening staff with the sack if they don’t agree to this flawed contract. Shoppers will be horrified to learn of what is going on behind the scenes.
“Our hard-working members are telling us they are being forced into signing these new contracts for fear of not being able to pay the bills or put food on the table for their kids. It’s sapping away morale and heaping misery on our members.
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By GlobalData“Instead of strong arm tactics, Asda needs to show some respect and listen to the workers whose hard work make the company’s profits. The Asda workforce deserve a better deal and the company should get round the table with us and agree changes that would help both our members and the business thrive.
“Asda is a multi-billion pound company, it doesn’t need to bully staff out of their hard won terms and conditions.”
The union will stage a mass protest with Asda workers from across the country at City Square in Leeds City Centre on 14 August.
In January this year, Asda lost the equal pay case after the Court of Appeal upheld its ruling allowing store staff to compare their roles with those in the distribution centres.
