Staff at an Asda branch in Brighton have gone on strike, urging customers not to cross the picket line in Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury.
The strike, which follows a vote among members of the GMB union, started last night (Friday, May 24) at 8pm and ends today at 3pm.
The employees want the company owners to ensure that there are enough staff working at the branch so that they can all do their jobs safely.
They are furious about a new computer program that is leaving some of them underpaid or not paid at all.
And a leaflet given to customers said some employees felt bullied by the workplace culture as too few employees tried to keep things moving.
Due to staff shortages, fresh food arrived at the Hollingbury branch but never made it to the shelves.
In one day alone it was estimated that the stock thrown away was worth around £20,000 – almost enough to pay someone who had been doing the job all year.
The store has also lost much more than expected due to shoplifting, partly because there are too few staff on duty.
However, the company has deployed heavy security personnel, with at least a dozen visible in the parking lot and other entrances and exits last night.
A similar number are expected to be deployed today, with a demonstration planned outside the store between 12pm and 1pm today.
The picket line is in Crowhurst, outside the premises, and strikers have been told they are not allowed into the store, even to use the toilet.
The Labor MP for Brighton Kemptown, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, went along last night to show his support for those on the picket line.
Staff told him the stores were better managed and a better place to work before previous owner Walmart sold them to brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and TDR Capital in 2021.
They said the new owners had reduced costs by using fewer staff for fewer hours, but this had made it more difficult to ensure shelves were always well stocked.
One said that staff were doing their best, but that some specialist counters, for example, were not always manned, causing them to lose out on business at busy times.
And changes to driver pay had affected the number of staff willing to work for Asda, rather than its better-paying rivals, affecting the availability and reliability of home deliveries.
One said: “The key issues for members of the Hollingbury store focus specifically on the fact that we don’t have enough colleagues to do the work and that we deserve fair pay for the work we do.
“(This) view (is) influenced by the long-running equal pay claim against Asda, which is being pursued by Leigh Day lawyers on behalf of Asda colleagues.”
Mr Russell-Moyle said it was a worrying sign that Walmart was seen as a better employer than its current owners.
And he praised the staff for wanting to do their jobs well and give customers what they came for, while the owners failed to get these basics right.
Some fear that the current owners have burdened Asda with debt, putting it at risk of spectacular bankruptcy like BHS (British Home Stores) or Debenhams.
About 200 to 300 employees work at the Hollingbury branch, many of them as part-time or seasonal workers, although someone said the number should be about 400.
Staff had resigned and not been replaced and another store worker said the new owners, in their attempts to save money, cut off their noses in revenge.
Since the strike vote was announced, GMB membership had doubled, with around half of the staff now belonging to the union.
The leaflet distributed by the striking staff read: “All we are asking for is
- the right hours to do our work well
- to be paid for the hours we worked and on time
- improvements in health and safety standards
- that Asda can negotiate effectively with our union on these issues
- for Asda to negotiate a settlement of our equal pay claim
“We ask that you do not cross our picket line and shop elsewhere today.”
Asda said: “While we are disappointed that the GMB has taken this course of action, we can reassure customers that we have processes in place to minimize any disruption caused by industrial action at the Brighton Hollingbury store.
“The GMB represents a small minority of colleagues in this store and not all of them voted in favor of industrial action. Furthermore, the GMB’s recent vote at the Brighton Marina store was unsuccessful.
“Despite repeated requests, we have not yet received evidence of all of the GMB’s claims. However, we will continue to work with their representatives with the aim of reaching an amicable solution for all parties.”