GMB union has begun balloting Asda distribution workers over a new pay deal today.
Nearly 8,000 GMB members working in Asda warehouses will vote on whether to accept a revised pay offer from the supermarket giant.
Asda previously refused to make a meaningful pay offer to distribution workers, leading 94 per cent of GMB members indicating they were prepared to take strike action. [1]
The company then made an improved offer to workers. The ballot closes on 14 February.
Reports suggest Asda has hiked prices more dramatically than rivals, raising questions over whether the private equity backed buyout by the Issa Brothers will leave shoppers worse off as inflation rips through the economy. [2]
ASDA and GMB are currently locked in a long-running equal pay claim on behalf of 40,000 Asda workers over whether the predominantly female shop floor workforce deserves equal pay to that of those in the distribution centre. [3]
Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said:
“Asda’s distribution workers have put pressure on bosses to get an improved pay offer.
“It is now up to them if they are willing to accept it.
"If they turn this pay offer down, we will have no choice but to move to a formal strike ballot.”
