Asda cost cuts to put 2,832 back-office jobs at risk

Nearly 3,000 Asda employees are reportedly at risk of losing their jobs, according to new reports. 

According to The Guardian, 2,832 back-office jobs may potentially be at risk in the latest cost-cutting move from the supermarket giant.

The newspaper claims to have learned that consultations are afoot with employees in administrative, cash office and personnel roles. During the process, which is said to have begun on Thursday, it is believed that staff have been told their jobs may be at risk. 

Gary Carter, a national officer at the GMB trade union, said: “Off the back of the dispute we had last year about pay – and coming shortly after Christmas – this is quite devastating news for Asda staff. It has been one round of redundancies after another.”

In a statement, ASDA said: “The way in which we operate our store-based back office has evolved over recent years to adapt to changing customer behaviour, such as an increase in card payments over cash.

“As a result, we are proposing some changes to increase efficiencies and simplify ways of working across administration, compliance and cash office.”

Asda added: “We have opened a collective consultation with those colleagues impacted and their representatives and will have conversations about any potential change with our colleagues first.”

This follows news that Asda threatened to terminate staff who did not sign a “controversial” new contract in October. The GMB union said that the contract would make workers “lose all their paid breaks and be forced to work bank holidays”, and there were suggestions staff were told to sign it or be sacked.