A further two Asda stores are balloting for strike action as staff have filed a “litany of complaints” that the GMB said has “not been dealt with by managers”.
Members of the union at the Brighton Marina and Brighton Hollingbury stores are deciding whether to vote for strike action over “a dossier of more than 20 issues” that has been submitted to Asda management.
Complaints from members include lack of hours, poor contracts, health and safety issues not being dealt with quickly, inefficient staff training and high turnover of staff adding even more pressure on existing staff.
The ballots are expected to close next week and if members vote in favour of taking action, the next stage will be formal ballots for industrial action.
An Asda store in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire is also facing a ballot, which is set to close on February 9. Meanwhile, action at the Gosport store, which was set to strike in January, has been postponed due to ongoing last-ditch talks.
GMB regional organiser Nicola Nixon said: “Following on from the successful strike ballot in Asda Gosport, we received several calls from members in these two Brighton stores keen to join in and take action.
“The members have come up with more than 20 issues that they feel are not being addressed properly by management, and these look incredibly similar to those submitted in Gosport.
“Asda owners the Issa brothers and their financial backers TDR Capital need to step up to the plate and address these issues head-on, or we will just see ballot after ballot across the country until our members feel listened to.
“TDR Capital also owns the Stonegate pub chain and GMB has highlighted similar issues with the private equity firm.
“Both TDR Capital and Asda would do well to talk to GMB and nip this dispute in the bud before it snowballs and starts affecting a much larger number of stores.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We have established processes in place for colleagues to raise any issues or concerns that they may have.
”Providing a safe working environment where all colleagues are treated with respect is of paramount importance to us and if colleagues have concerns we would ask these are brought to the attention of a manager immediately so they can be investigated and promptly resolved.”
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