// Asda starts consultation with 2832 staff across back office roles in its latest bid to cut costs
// Staff working in administrative, cash office and personnel roles have been told their jobs were at risk
// Asda is looking to halve its back office operations across its 639 stores
Asda has reportedly started a consultation process with more than 2800 staff across back office roles in its latest bid to cut costs.
According to The Guardian, the Walmart-owned grocer has informed 2832 employees working in administrative, cash office and personnel roles that their jobs were at risk as the consultation period started last Thursday.
The news comes several weeks after Asda enforced a controversial new employment contract which increased basic hourly pay and hourly pay on some bank holidays, but scrapped paid breaks, cut premium pay on most bank holidays and reduced the number of hours rated as better-paid night shifts.
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The contract attracted headlines amid reports that Asda would reportedly sack employees who did not sign the new contract by the set deadline, which the grocer denied.
In addition, earlier this month Asda unveiled plans to replace its meat and fish counters with a food-for-now offer, placing further hundreds of jobs at risk.
In its latest cost cutting drive, the Big 4 grocer is looking to halve its back office operations across its 639 stores.
Trade union GMB said Asda was seeking “significant hours reductions” in the affected departments.
In a statement, Asda said: “The way in which we operate our store-based back office has evolved over recent years to adapt to changing customer behaviour, such as an increase in card payments over cash.
“As a result, we are proposing some changes to increase efficiencies and simplify ways of working across administration, compliance and cash office.
“We have opened a collective consultation with those colleagues impacted and their representatives and will have conversations about any potential change with our colleagues first.”
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