Half of Asda workers will struggle to afford Christmas dinner, says GMB

The merger of Asda and EG Group could create a retail giant worth between 11 billion and 13 billion pounds, according to a report in the London-based The Times

Asda has defended its record on staff pay, after it was claimed half of its workers didn’t think they would be able to afford to heat their homes this year 

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Half of Asda workers are worried they will not be able to afford Christmas dinner this year due to low wages, a GMB survey shows.

A poll of more than 3,200 Asda workers also revealed that 74% are worried they will not be able to afford Christmas presents, 87% are worried they will not be able to heat their homes, and 34% are worried they will not be able to afford to host family. Just 4% said they were not worried about being able to afford things for Christmas

Asda is now the lowest paid for the ‘big four’ UK supermarkets, which includes Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi.

Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “We are now seeing mid-year pay increases being awarded by other retailers, leaving Asda playing catch up instead of leading the way on staff pay and benefits.”

Asda defended its record on staff pay, after the trade union has called on the supermarket to increase the base rate of shop floor pay to £10.50 per hour with its national officer.

Speaking to The Grocer, an Asda spokesman said: “We understand that the cost of living crisis is impacting our customers and colleagues alike, which is why we’re investing in keeping our prices low and supporting our colleagues.”

“We’re listening to our colleagues and taking action to support them wherever we are able. This year we have invested in two pay increases for our hourly paid store colleagues and were able to pay a bonus worth an average of £413 to a full-time, hourly-paid colleague. We’ve also listened to feedback from our colleagues and removed the qualifying period for their colleague discount, along with offering numerous special events throughout the year offering an increased discount.”

Asda added that GMB had no mandate to discuss hourly retail pay, saying it engaged with rival union Usdaw.

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