An official strike ballot in supermarket chain Asda’s 20 distribution depots across the UK is under way, the GMB union has confirmed.
Ballot papers will be issued next week and the union expects to announce the result in the week beginning 19 June.
GMB members working in the depots want to secure collective bargaining rights covering pay, conditions and union facilities. They are also unhappy at the non-payment of bonuses.
Jude Brimble, GMB national officer, said: “Asda Wal-Mart is not prepared to accept that pay and condition agreements need to be fair and arrived at fairly. GMB members in Asda Wal-Mart will not settle for less. We need a big vote for strike action to secure these reasonable objectives.”
A spokesman for Asda said the company was disappointed by the GMB’s decision to conduct a ballot.
“We think industrial action is unnecessary because some depots already have collective bargaining and if colleagues at other depots want it then there is a process on the table for them to go through,” he said.
