Asda bosses pushed ahead with switching the supermarket’s IT payroll system, despite being warned that it could spark a breakdown that would impact workers’ pay.
Senior leaders at the company were cautioned in advance that the IT changeover could trigger the payroll glitch, which has since impacted 30,000 staff and left hundreds underpaid, reported The Telegraph.
The new revelation has led to unions calling for billionaire co-founder Mohsin Issa to apologise for the crisis, which first arose last month.
Last week the IT meltdown caused more issues during payday and staff again found themselves underpaid, while others were overpaid.
A senior employee at Asda told the Telegraph that there had been “thousands and thousands of complaints”, adding: “We knew it was going to happen.”
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Last month, some stores managers were forced to resort to making 200 petty cash payments to affected employees, however this is not expected to be done this month.
An Asda spokesman said: “The first payroll run with a large-scale systems migration rarely passes without any issues in any industry.
“For Asda colleagues, we unreservedly apologise to those impacted and continue to work with colleague representatives, including our unions, to rectify any outstanding issues – as a top priority.
“For the April payroll, Asda can confirm that the number of payroll queries was significantly reduced.”
