Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employee relationsLatest NewsTrade unions

Asda HR chief slams cynical union tactics

by Mike Berry 14 Mar 2006
by Mike Berry 14 Mar 2006

The people director at Asda has launched a stinging attack on the GMB union for waging a “cynical and deliberate” campaign against the supermarket chain.

The union said it plans to ballot its members at Asda depots over worsening industrial relations. It is also holding a consultative ballot of members in stores over the non-payment of bonuses.

The GMB has warned the supermarket chain that it could call for consumers to boycott its stores.

But David Smith, Asda’s people director, told Personnel Today that the GMB’s campaign was about a union with declining membership “desperately seeking to gain funds”.

“[The GMB] has openly said to us that Asda is a large organisation and therefore a target for it to increase its union dues,” he said. “That is the backdrop to this situation.”

Smith denied Asda was attempting to union-bust and defended the company’s HR practices, despite the ongoing dispute with the GMB and three tribunal losses in the past few weeks.

“Every now and then a company genuinely makes a mistake. I don’t think it’s about HR practices changing, it’s the way it’s been coloured,” he said.

“There is a very well-oiled publicity machine cynically and deliberately targeting the business,” he added.

Smith also said US retail giant Wal-Mart – Asda’s notoriously anti-union parent company – had “remarkably little” influence over day-to-day events.
“Everyone seems to think that Wal-Mart pulls the strings,” Smith said. “But its businesses are independently run by the local people.”

Smith insisted that the GMB’s campaign would ultimately be self-defeating.

“In a retail business I don’t think being aggressive towards the employer is actually going to make people feel more positive about the union,” he said.

Paul Kenny, acting general secretary at the GMB, rejected Smith’s claim that the union was running a cynical campaign. “The well-oiled publicity machine was run by Tim Allan, ex-Downing Street spin doctor, who was paid by Asda to persuade GMB members to give up collective bargaining .

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“The GMB is not prepared to tolerate this union-busting. Agreements on pay and conditions need to be fair and the way the agreements are arrived at needs to be fair. Neither condition applies in Asda Wal-Mart,” he said.

 

Mike Berry

previous post
Avon police chief admits race recruitment blunder
next post
Age discrimination is already illegal

You may also like

Government publishes ‘roadmap’ for Employment Rights Bill

1 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

Government moves swiftly on immigration reform

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Government launches ‘landmark’ review of parental leave

1 Jul 2025

Clarks cuts 1,200 jobs after ‘year of transition’

1 Jul 2025

How HR can support families with adoption

1 Jul 2025

Co-op equal pay claims move onto next stage

30 Jun 2025

‘Be direct’ to avoid escalating conflict, advises Acas

30 Jun 2025

Reforming paternity leave could benefit UK by £13bn...

30 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+