Asda workers are voting on strike action at three more stores over claims of issues including cuts in hours and poor health and safety.
Nearly 400 GMB Union members at the supermarket giant’s Wisbech, Brighton Hollingbury and Brighton Marina stores will vote on whether to take industrial action.
The new ballots will run from 16 February until 5 March, and also look to address further claims of inadequate training, a lack of collective bargaining, and failure to resolve equal pay.
It comes as workers in Asda’s Gosport store went on strike for 48 hours last week over a working environment that they describe as “toxic”.
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Speaking of the new ballots, GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “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.
“Meanwhile the Issa Brothers and TDR Capital continue the asset stripping of Asda at pace.
“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.”
It comes as it emerged that Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa borrowed £5.5m more from their petrol station firm EG Group to repay debt they had after purchasing two private jets.
According to company filings, EG Group lent the figure to the brothers’ personal private jet companies in 2022, on top of £33.2m in unsecured loans for them to buy the jets in 2018, the Financial Times reported.
An Asda spokesperson 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.
“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.”
