Asda workers continue strike action at Lowestoft store

More than 170 employees will walk out of the store from 03:00 to 22:00 ion Friday 9 August in a continuing dispute over pay and working conditions.

GMB cited a several issues that have persisted since their disagreement with the retailer began earlier this year, including cuts in hours, poor quality training, bullying management and health and safety issues nut being addressed.

Keith Dixon, GMB regional organiser, said: “Asda Lowestoft bosses know full well why workers are frustrated. They’ve met with GMB several times, but they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. ​

‘Concerns not addressed’

“Not a single point of concern has been addressed by Asda during these meetings – suggestions from GMB have been blanked. Management seems to want to ignore these problems and hope they go away. They won’t.”​

Asda denied GMB's claims it had blanked the concerns raised and said it had addressed store specific issues.

A spokesman for the retaielr said: “We strongly reject the GMB’s claim that no action has been taken. We have taken proactive steps over several weeks, meeting regularly to listen to concerns and to respond to the points the GMB have put to us regarding the Lowestoft store. ​

"We have robust contingency plans in place and can reassure customers the store will be open as normal, should this industrial action go ahead.”​

GMB members have hosted a number of walkouts and protests at Asda stores across the country since the start of 2024, with new majority owner TDR Capital at the heart of many of the union’s grievances.

TDR protests​

In June, Asda workers and GMB members staged a protest outside the retailer’s Bournemouth stores against TDR taking a majority stake in the retailer.

About 500 people gathered to protest claims that TDR was slashing millions of hours from the shop floor in a desperate bid to “service its debt mountain”.​

In the Bournemouth store, GMB claimed that around 16,500 hours have been cut during the past two years, while – who are predominantly women – were “owed billions of pounds in back pay through their equal pay claim”.​

Strike action over pay also took place at the Gosport, Wisbech and Lowestoft stores in February, April and May respectively.

Meanwhile, last month, hundreds of Morrisons warehouse and logistics workers voted in favour of new pay terms and conditions​​ following an ongoing industrial dispute over pensions, pay and working conditions.