Asda has played down the threat of Christmas shortages despite facing a double strike threat, amid pay disputes with home delivery and HGV drivers.
The GMB today revealed it was set to ballot members working as home delivery drivers after learning of management plans to cut drivers’ pay.
The plan includes removing a pay supplement which it said would see wages cut by £1.50 per hour.
The ballot, which opened today, will close in four weeks’ time.
“This is a shocking and worrying announcement by Asda,” said GMB regional organiser Declan MacIntyre.
“Our members are horrified and frightened about how they will pay their bills on their basic earnings.”
Asda, however, played down threats of the strike causing shortages at Christmas, saying the delivery drivers covered 35 of its 600 stores.
An Asda spokesman said: “In July, we began a trial in a small number of stores to pay a discretionary supplement to delivery drivers in order to assess what impact this has on colleague recruitment and retention.
“This trial was scheduled to end in December, but will finish at the end of this month, because it has not delivered the desired results. We have spoken to all colleagues impacted by this change.”
Meanwhile Asda is also facing the threat of strike action by more than 80 outsourced HGV drivers, who are members of the Unite union, based at Wincanton’s depot in Rochdale.
The union said it was unhappy drivers were paid £13.50 an hour and were often required to work up to 15 hours a day.
It said they had been offered 7.4% on basic pay rates only but, with the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently at 12.3%, Unite said that amounted to a real terms pay cut.
The drivers transport goods to the supermarket’s regional distribution centres, covering as far north as Falkirk and to Bedford and Bristol in the south.
They will be balloted between 18 October and 21 November.
Strike action, if agreed, will see stoppages begin in the first week in December, which the union said would lead to Christmas shortages.
“Both Wincanton and Asda are hugely wealthy companies,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. ”They absolutely should not be asking our members to take a pay cut, so unless they change their approach and table a better offer, they will face strike action in the run-up to Christmas.
”The workers at Wincanton will receive Unite’s unstinting support throughout this dispute.”
Unite regional officer Kenny Rowe said: “Strike action will cause huge disruption to Asda and will inevitably result in shortages. Wincanton has been given every chance to resolve this dispute and make a pay offer which meets the workers’ expectations, but it has declined to do so.”
An Asda spokesman said: “We have an extensive network of Asda delivery driver colleagues who serve our stores nationwide. Wincanton is a regional third-party logistics supplier and these discussions are between their drivers and Unite the Union. We encourage both parties to reach an agreement on driver pay.”
A Wincanton spokesman added: ”We value the vital work our colleagues carry out every day and the offer we have put forward is fair and competitive. We remain committed to finding a resolution that satisfies all parties.”
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