Asda staff are set to vote on whether to strike at three more stores, GMB Union has revealed today.
Almost 400 of the union’s members at its Wisbech, Brighton Hollingbury, and Brighton Marina shops are set to vote on whether to take industrial action, with the ballots set to run from 16 February to 5 March.
The votes come after the first strike at the supermarket’s Gosport store against the “toxic” working environment.
According to Asda, 46 of the Gosport store’s staff members voted for industrial action and 24 workers went on strike.
GMB said workers were angry about issues at the business including cuts in hours, poor health and safety, and inadequate training.
They are also protesting against lack of collective bargaining – rights to negotiate on pay and conditions – and a failure to resolve equal pay.
Estimates being circulated among the grocer’s staff reveal 8m hours have been lost across Asda in the last two years, with more reductions expected this year, GMB claims
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The union’s national officer Nadine Houghton said: “Asda workers are voting on strike action because they want to see a better, thriving company.
“Meanwhile the Issa Brothers and TDR Capital continue the asset stripping of Asda at pace.
“An estimated eight million hours have been cut from the shop floor in the past two years alone, reducing staff costs by up to tens of millions of pounds.”
She continued: “GMB members want to know why they are being forced to do more work with fewer colleagues and worsening health and safety standards, while Moshin Issa spends millions on mansions and private jets.
“These cuts are not something that Asda workers agreed to nor had any say in.
“That is why they are calling for proper rights for Asda’s largest trade union – GMB – to represent them.”
A spokesperson for Asda said: “We value feedback from our colleagues and have established processes in place for them to address any concerns.
“We’ve requested specific details from the GMB regarding the alleged issues in our Wisbech and Brighton stores but have yet to receive this information.”
They continued: “We’re also waiting for them to share details of the alleged issues they have found in the Gosport store too.
“While any potential disruption is unwelcome, we are confident this can be managed and these stores will remain open as normal for our customers.
“This was demonstrated recently in Gosport, where fewer than 30 colleagues participated in industrial action.”
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