The GMB negotiating team met with ASDA Logistics Services management on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th May for further pay negotiations. Management put forward 3 pay increase proposals:
Option 1 – 1.3% increase for 12 months
Option 2 – 1.3% for 12 months, then an increase of 1.5% for 8 months (20 month deal)
Option 3 – 1.3% 12 months, then an increase of 1.6% for 12 months (2 year deal) All three options would include the following change to terms and conditions
In exchange for giving ALS employees a nominated day for 7 public holidays, excluding Christmas Day, employees would no longer receive sick pay for the first three days of absence and the number of weeks of sick pay entitlement would be cut from 26 weeks to 13 weeks. The sickness policy would also be rewritten.
GMB Response
The GMB negotiating team rejected all three options. All 3 proposals were a long way off our expectations.
Our claim is for a substantial increase above the rate of inflation.
Option 1 offered no new money, and options 2 & 3 were only increases of 0.2% or 0.3% on the first year.
The current rate of annual inflation (RPI) is 3.3%. The ASDA offer is 2.9% for a two year deal or 2.1% less than the rate of inflation for a 1 year deal.
We’re not interested in exchanging sick pay for the nominated day.
The GMB negotiating team said GMB members want a cost of living pay rise that is not self-funded. Yours sincerely
Gary Carter National Officer
