Asda workers to walk out in first ever strike at supermarket giant in row over ‘toxic’ work culture
ASDA workers will walk out of a superstore in the first ever strike at the supermarket giant.
Workers at Asda's Gosport Superstore will leave from Friday, January 12, the GMB Union revealed.
It's the first of its kind at any Asda store in the UK, and was sparked by the "toxic" treatment of staff, according to the GMB.
Members have also complained of low wages and poor health and safety, the union said.
Colleagues will strike until Sunday 26 January, but could go on for longer.
Nicola Nixon, GMB Regional Organiser said: “To my knowledge, no ASDA store has been balloted for strike action before, so this is historic for these members who have been brave enough to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’.
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“The strike action is a cry for help from these hard-working colleagues, who help deliver Christmas for families all across the surrounding area.
“Asda management still have time to stop this strike from happening – if they don’t want the store operations to grind to a halt in January, they need to meet us and actually negotiate with us, unlike the five previous times we have met for pointless and unproductive talks.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We have established processes in place for colleagues to raise any concerns and are disappointed that the GMB has chosen this course of action, despite the discussions we have had with them.
"We will continue to engage with representatives at the Gosport store to resolve their concerns. While any action that has the potential to cause disruption for colleagues and customers is unwelcome, we are confident that we can keep disruption to a minimum.”
