Asda has disputed the GMB’s claims that some Asda workers are being underpaid in what the union described as the “third month of wage errors”.
GMB has claimed “thousands” of retail and logistics workers have been paid incorrectly and the errors are due to TDR Capital’s attempts to switch to a new payment system to save money.
Asda said TDR Capital is not involved in the day-to-day running of the retailer and the claims from the union are incorrect.
It added that once Walmart sold Asda in 2020, it could not continue to use Walmart’s technology and it had to move to new Asda systems, which is not related to cost cutting.
In March, some Asda workers were waiting for the correct pay after following an IT issue, which reportedly left them underpaid by as much as £1,000.
The supermarket added that while there was a data migration and processing issue in its March payroll, immediate action was taken to match impacted colleagues’ March pay to previous months’ earnings.
The union said those who have been overpaid have until May 28 to “agree a repayment” or “face deductions” from their June pay but Asda has disputed this.
Asda added that colleagues who would like a repayment plan should let it know before May 28, so this can be processed in time for the June payday.
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton described the situation as a “farce” and added: “We have had members who’ve resigned due to not being paid properly, members who have had to go off sick from work, who have been paid nothing month on month and who have been paid only to then have the money taken back off of them.
“The cost of using the old Walmart systems has led to TDR Capital switching on to the new IT systems without making sure they are fit for purpose.
“This is yet more evidence of cutting corners from TDR Capital and the only people that suffer are the hard-working colleagues that make Asda what it is.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “Asda employs over 150,000 colleagues and the vast majority have been paid as normal in each pay run following the move to a new HR system in March.
“We did have some issues in the March payroll and took proactive steps at the time to ensure that colleagues were not underpaid by matching their pay to their previous month’s earnings.
“We continue to support colleagues with repayment plans for those who were overpaid as a result of this process.”
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