GMB union steps up campaign for equal pay for Asda workers

A campaign for equal pay at supermarket giant Asda is being ramped up by a union.

November 6, dubbed ‘Asda Equal Pay Day’ by GMB union, is the day the predominantly male workforce in distribution will have already earned what the predominantly female retail workforce will take home for the entire year.

This means retail staff face 39 working days before Christmas “where they will effectively be paid nothing, compared to their distribution colleagues.” The union said.

Asda is currently facing the largest ever private sector equal pay claim, with approximately 50,000 current and former workers suing the company.

Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “It’s scandalous that up to 100,000 Asda retail workers will essentially be grafting for free for the rest of the year.

“The entire retail sector has been built on the structural undervaluing of women’s work – but GMB members are changing this with their historic fight for equal pay in Asda.

“Asda can afford to pay its women workers what they are owed; the cost of settling the equal pay claims is about £2.1 billion – exact same value as the £2.1 billion dividend declared by Asda Group Limited in 2022.

“Instead of taking money out of ASDA it is time for the owners – TDR Capital and the Issa Brothers –  to get round the table and pay women workers their due

An Asda spokesman said: “At Asda, male and female colleagues doing the same jobs in stores are paid the same and this is equally true in our distribution centres.