Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Asda workers near Glasgow say they are struggling to make ends meet

Asda workers claim that they have had to turn to foodbanks amid 'cost of living crisis'

By Sarah Campbell @sz_campbellDigital Journalist


Members of staff at Asda have claimed that they have been forced to turn to foodbanks to make ends meet amid a cost of living crisis.

The Sunday Mail reports that a survey carried out but the GMB union with almost 800 Asda employees has shone a light on the worsening financial struggle.

Over 500 workers said that not being able to stretch their wages far enough has started to have a negative impact on their mental health.

Almost half of those surveyed said that they had been forced to borrow money from friends and family members to make ends meet while five per cent said that they had taken time off work because they could not afford to travel to their shift.

Seven per cent have said that they have had to rely on food banks for basic provisions.

Although Asda has announced an upcoming pay increase to £9.66 an hour starting in April, workers say that this is not enough to help them stay afloat.

Others have pointed out the stark contrast between the planned increase compared with Supermarket giants reported profits of £368million in 2020.

Bishopbriggs Asda worker and mum of one Diane Brownlee, 41, told the Sunday: “Asda has made record-breaking profits since the beginning of lockdown, with directors paying themselves eye-watering bonuses.

“Workers have been putting their lives on the line by going into work throughout the
pandemic. But our hard work hasn’t been recognised. We kept people fed during the pandemic.

“With the pay increase, I can no longer afford to work in Asda. And I certainly can’t afford to shop there without my staff discount. Asda bosses told us we are frontline staff. But many of us feel like we are on the breadline.”

GMB Scotland organiser Robert Deavy hit out at the below-inflation pay increase saying: “Asda bosses should be shamefaced at the prospect of staff being unable to afford the food they stock on the shelves and any politician worth their salt should be stunned – there is no ‘levelling up’ or ‘fair work’ in Asda.

“For the last two years staff have been told they are key workers, they’ve helped keep the country fed and watered throughout the grip of Covid-19, yet after everything they’ve done for all of us, their ‘thank you’ will be a wage of just £9.66 an hour while inflation soars to a 30-year high.

“Without intervention, these daily struggles are only going to get worse and for tens of thousands of key workers in Asda it is a real possibility they’ll go from the frontline to below the breadline in 2022.”

However, a spokesperson for Asda has said that the deal which was completed with Union Usdaw will lead to a higher wage within two years.

He said: “This pay offer was negotiated with Usdaw and will see colleague hourly pay increase by 7.35 per cent over the next two years, with rates rising to £9.66 in April and to £10.06 next year.

"We are the only supermarket to pay store colleagues a bonus, worth an average of £413 this year for full-time colleagues, as part of a comprehensive benefits package, which also includes 10 per cent discount in-store and online.”

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