Supermarket chain Asda have made a shocking potential decision about pay. Staff could be threatened with the sack if they don’t agree to a pay cut, according to the GMB union.
The household name is considering ending a 60p-per-hour supplement paid to some workers in the South East of England.
Asda to cut jobs
Nadine Houghton, GMB organiser, said: “Cutting the pay of 7,000 low-paid retail workers during a cost of living crisis is inexcusable.”
Houghton said: “If the business secretary [Kemi Badenoch] allows this merger to go ahead, she will be responsible for allowing a deal that is bad for workers, bad for consumers and bad for the high street.
“These slash and burn tactics, along with food and fuel price increases, will only ramp up if the merger goes ahead.”
Owners
Brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa’s EG Group own a majority stake in ASDA
In 2020, it was announced they had won the battle to buy Asda from US supermarket giant Walmart, in a deal valuing the UK grocer at £6.8bn.
It meant Asda returned to majority UK ownership for the first time in two decades.
The company announced profits of around £27billion in 2022, including earnings of over £1billion.
The brothers were both awarded CBEs after the news.
The Issas faced questions in their home town when they bought eight homes, demolished them and began building five mansions, raising the ire of neighbours, the Lancashire Telegraph has reported.
Also, Questions were raised about EG Group’s governance after its auditor, Deloitte, suddenly quit in October 2020 and was replaced by KPMG.
A knighthood is probably in the post?
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