Asda defends shop floor pay after staff protest

Staff held placards outside the store in Kettering during the protest

Asda has denied that its pay structure is unfair, following a protest by the supermarket chain's staff.

Members of the GMB Union at the Asda store in Kettering, Northamptonshire, staged the protest outside the supermarket on Monday.

The union said shop-floor workers, many of whom were women, were paid up to £3 per hour less than staff involved in distribution.

Asda said retail and distribution were "very different sectors".

The dispute about equal pay has been raging for well over a decade.

A compensation claim has been made for back-payments and a wage increase which the GMB believes it will win.

The court case is due to resume in September.

Union officials estimate the underpayment for the company's Kettering workers could be as much as £3.8m.

The GMB has accused the company of "slashing millions of hours from the shop floor".

Rachelle Wilkins, the GMB's regional lead officer for Asda, said: “Women workers at the company are being routinely undervalued whilst facing hours being slashed.

"Here in Kettering our members have had enough."

The GMB said shoppers supported the protest

The union claimed support from shoppers in Kettering had been "overwhelming and it’s clear they’re shocked at how Asda is treating its women workers”.

The GMB said 30 members took part in the protest, although Asda said it thought the real figure was much lower.

An Asda spokesperson said: "Male and female colleagues doing the same jobs in stores are paid the same, and this is equally true in our distribution centres.

"We continue to defend these claims because retail and distribution are very different sectors, with their own distinct skill sets and rates of pay.”