In a new statement issued by the trade union, GMB said that even after a pay rise which came into force on 6 July, the hourly pay of Asda staff lags behind workers at Tesco, Aldi and Lidl.
Asda workers now earn £12.45 per hour, with that set to rise to £12.60 in October. GMB said that by delaying the 15p increase until later in the year, the average worker will be £200 worse off.
By comparison, staff at Aldi and Lidl are currently paid £12.75 per hour, while Tesco workers receive an hourly rate of £12.64. Sainsbury’s workers are paid £12.45 at the moment, but this will increase to £12.60 per hour next month.
According to sister title The Grocer, staff at Co-op and Marks & Spencer earn £12.60 per hour, with Waitrose staff on £12.40 and Morrisons staff on £12.21.
GMB has also claimed that due to a loophole in the law, Asda paid retail workers below the National Minimum Wage during the first two weeks of April when hourly wages were just £12.04, before rising to £12.21 on 13 April.
However, Asda said that this was the result of its four-week pay cycle, and that its actions were in line with HMRC guidance.
GMB and Asda comment
“Asda has been stripped to the bone by its private equity owners TDR Capital who fail to understand shop floor staff are one of its biggest assets,” commented Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer.
“Any turnaround plan not putting retail staff front, back and centre will fail – these essential workers need to be invested in, not forced into poverty.
“GMB calls on Asda to deliver an above inflation pay rise every April, pay back the £200 workers have had stolen through this staggered, penny-pinching approach and to give them the money owed to them when they were not being paid the national minimum wage rates in April.”
In response, an Asda spokesperson said: “Asda has invested over £500m in retail pay since 2021, including £80m in the current year.
“This year’s investment takes place in three phases, with rates rising from £12.04 in April to £12.60 by October. Asda is fully compliant with all National Minimum Wage requirements.”
TDR Capital took a majority stake in Asda last June after purchasing Zuber Issa’s shares in the business for an undisclosed fee. The move was met with protests by Asda staff and GMB members at the time.
