Asda facing possible strike action over jobs shake-up - report

Asda is facing potential industrial action, it was reported on Friday, after the supermarket chain announced a proposed shake-up of its store operations.

The grocer said on Thursday that it was axing 211 night shift manager roles, with a further 4,137 staff switched from overnight restocking shifts to daytimes and evening shifts, which pay less.

It also plans to close seven of its 254 in-store pharmacies, putting 62 jobs at risk, while more than 200 workers at in-store Post Offices will have their hours cut.

Asda said the shake-up reflected shifting customer habits and would allow the business to operate more efficiently.

But on Friday it was reported that the privately-owned grocer, the UK’s third largest, was at risk of strike action unless management agreed significant concessions.

The GMB union, which met to discuss the announcement late on Thursday, called the plans "unworkable", especially during a cost-of-living crisis.

A union source told Sky News that a "significant proportion" of workers were expected to take redundancy. But they added that talks during the official consultation period would look to secure concessions from management, if a strike ballot was to be avoided.

In a statement, GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: "Many Asda workers feel this is just a cost-cutting measure, needed to alleviate the financial pressure of the debt leveraged bonanza to buy Asda - but it’s going to hit some of the lowest paid retail workers on the high street."

Asda was taken private in 2020 by the billionaire Issa brothers and private equity firm TDR Capital in a £6.8bn deal. It was the UK’s biggest leveraged buyout in more than a decade.