"Up to 12,000 Asda workers could lose jobs amid contract row " 21 October 2019

Up to 12,000 Asda workers could lose their jobs next week, according to union officials, if they refuse to sign up to a new contract that will hit pay and benefits for thousands of workers...

...In August, the company told staff if they did not sign up to the new deal they would leave the business on 2 November...

...The deal has been nicknamed the “Martini contract” after the drink’s 1970s advertising slogan “any time, any place, anywhere”...

...The pay changes come after Asda group’s profits rose by 13% to £805m last year, while payouts to directors increased to £12m from £9.5m the year before....

...the GMB believes at least 6,000 staff could be financially worse off out of 118,000 Asda store staff it says are on hourly pay...

...Gary Carter, the GMB national officer, has written to Asda asking it to postpone the contract change and ensure there were no dismissals through negotiations with the union...

...An Asda spokesperson said: “We have been clear that we don’t want any of our colleagues to leave us and while the vast majority of colleagues have chosen to sign the new contract, we continue to have conversations with those who have chosen not to, to try to understand their concerns. It is vital that we make sure we are prepared to adapt to the demands of our market..."...