Issa brothers' Asda hit back at unsafe work place claims

It comes as strike action at one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, owned by Blackburn's Issa brothers, continues to spread, due to claims about alleged “asset stripping” and “cuts in hours”.

Asda has contested the claims, saying they are being made by a "small minority of staff" which are "not representative of the business as a whole".

It added safety is a top priority and it has "rigorous processes" in place, while adding staff hours can change dependent on the time of year and requirements in store.

It also said photos 'showing' working time directive breaches were drafts and misleading, and dismissed claims of job cuts.

Last month it was reported GMB union members working for Asda staged a strike at a store in Gosport, Hampshire.

GMB blamed the superstore’s shareholders, Mohsin and Zuber Issa, along with private equity firm TDR Capital, claiming they were "asset stripping" the business.

Following the Gosport industrial action, staff at Asda’s Wisbech store in Cambridgeshire voted to strike over claims of reduced hours and a “bullying management” culture.

GMB has said roughly 170 employees are due to walk out over the Easter weekend on March 29 and 30, in a 48 hour strike.

There were also claims made by GMB that workers at the Wisbech store were unhappy over “poor” levels of training and support, as well as health and safety issues being “ignored”.

READ MORE: Strike action spreading across Asda over alleged cuts

Bosses at Asda said they had repeatedly asked the union for evidence of the claims and are “still waiting for this information”.

Now a former staff member from a store in Accrington, who did not wish to be named, has said the issues facing staff in stores in the south were, in their opinion, echoing those staff in Lancashire were also experiencing.

Pallets outside the Accrington store's fire exit, taken in December (Image: Submitted)

They took photos in December of what they claimed were unsafe working environments at the Hyndburn Road store, showing pallets and trolleys stacked behind fire exit doors and blocking staircases, as well as smashed glass and rubbish on the floor of the warehouse.

They said: “I worked at Asda but left last year and the health and safety aspects of working there were really bad.

“One of the areas where there’s a fire exit was backed up with pallets and trailers, and at the bottom of the stairs which lead down from the staff room.

“There were always piles and piles of stuff stacked up, and there was no way you’d be able to get out quickly if there was a fire.

“On one occasion there were broken jars of curry and rubbish all over the floor.

“In the warehouse, when it had been raining, I knew I had to go to work in wellies as there was so much water on the floor it was ridiculous.

Rubbish on the floor of the warehouse at Accrington Asda (Image: Submitted)

“There were people who had been there for 20 to 30 years, and they’d had enough, they were all leaving.

“I have seen a massive difference from the time I worked there to now. There just wasn’t enough staff working for them, in the last 10 years it’s changed dramatically.

“It seems like it’s gone downhill to be honest. I have seen both sides of it, from when I worked there and going in as a customer now and it’s disgusting.”

Stairwells blocked at the Accrington Asda store (Image: Submitted)

A staff member from a store in Cannock, in the Midlands, also claims Asda is repeatedly breaching the working time directive in terms of delivery driver hours.

The working time directive states there must be an 11-hour break between a driver's shifts, whereas the Cannock employee, who provided photographs of the delivery driver rotas, claimed some staff who were working until 10pm were then being scheduled to start their next shift at 7am the following day, giving a break of just nine hours.

A rota from the Cannock store showing a breach of working time directive regulations where one employee was due to finish at 10.30pm and then start their next shift at 7am (Image: Submitted)

While staff from a store in Sedgley, also in the Midlands, like staff in Accrington, claim their workplace is unsafe, after photos emerged showing fire exits being blocked with trolleys and pallets.

Meanwhile, a former employee from a store in Gravesend in Kent said: “With staff being cut, to save on their expenses, stock can be slow to appear on the shelves, meaning it cannot be sold, and with few cleaning staff, nothing gets fully cleaned, including the toilets.

“Personally, I think the new owners have bitten off more than they can chew. Money must be spent keeping the store clean and having staff to sort out the stock.”

The Cannock store employee said they believed the breaches in the working time directive and unsafe practices in terms of fire exits being blocked, were because of “alleged cuts” and “lack of staff”.

Another rota from the Cannock store showing a breach of working time directive regulations where one employee was due to finish at 10.30pm and then start their next shift at 7am (Image: Submitted)

The former Accrington worker added: “It all seemed to change around 2021, about the time the Issa brothers took over.

"Staff were being given less hours and not making enough money, and the management were rude too.

“I work for a different supermarket now, and from going into different stores with that supermarket it’s made me realise even more that things at Asda aren’t right.

“People on social media are always slagging off staff at Asda for this that or the other, but it’s not the staff, it’s the company, it’s a shame for the colleagues.”

Asda has hit back at all these claims, saying it is “their view” that the claims made by ex-staff from Hyndburn, staff at two of its Midland stores, and staff from a store in Gravesend, Kent, are, “not representative of the business as a whole, being claims made by a tiny minority of our colleagues in a small percentage of our 1,000 stores”.

In relation to the unsafe work practices at the Accrington store, an Asda spokesperson said: “Providing a safe environment for customers and colleagues is our top priority and we have rigorous processes in place including daily health and safety check in all our stores.

“If colleagues have any safety-related concerns we would ask these are brought to the attention of a manager immediately so they can be investigated and promptly resolved.”

The spokesperson also said the Hyndburn store is currently fully staffed and hours can flex and increase/decrease throughout the year depending on factors such as how busy the store is, the operational needs of the store, and the time of year. 

And they added that “every store has a designated cleaner during core trading hours”.

Another rota from the Cannock store showing a breach of working time directive regulations where one employee was due to finish at 10.30pm and then start their next shift at 7am (Image: Submitted)

Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: "Asda workers are voting on strike action because they want to see a better, thriving company.

“Meanwhile the Issa brothers and TDR Capital continue the asset stripping of Asda at pace.

"An estimated eight million hours have been cut from the shop floor in the past two years alone, reducing staff costs by up to tens of millions of pounds.

"GMB members want to know why they are being forced to do more work with fewer colleagues and worsening health and safety standards, while Mohsin Issa spends millions on mansions and private jets.

"These cuts are not something that Asda workers agreed to nor had any say in.

“That is why they are calling for proper rights for Asda’s largest trade union - GMB - to represent them."

A picture taken at the Sedgley store showing a blocked fire exit (Image: Social media/submitted)

In relation to the issues with driver rotas and breaches of the working time directive, the Asda spokesperson said: “These images are draft planning rotas used to check colleague availability at our Cannock store over the last three months.

“All rotas are subsequently entered into an electronic scheduling system where colleagues are provided with their final working patterns for that particular week and any hours worked over their contract are flagged.”

Asda also refuted claims that the company was “cutting staff” and had a “staff retention issue” and said colleague turnover rate reduced by six per cent between 2022 and 2023. 

Additionally, the supermarket giant said all its stores are, “live-working environments and ultimately there will be occasions where something has been dropped or left lying around in stores, as there will be in every retailer”, and rejected claims that the issues in Gravesend and Hyndburn were evidence of a, “wider issue across all stores as a result of cost-cutting”.

Blackburn’s Issa brothers bought Asda in 2020 for £6.8 billion and share the running of the supermarket chain with partners, TDR Capital.

The brothers also own EG Group, which is headquartered in Blackburn, and in October sold its UK business to Asda, which said it was committed to cutting prices.

Earlier this month, Asda announced it had invested £150m in increasing staff pay this year to become the UK’s highest-paying supermarket.

The Asda spokesperson added: “In addition to this there have been a number of other investments into the business, including a brand-new loyalty scheme and food ranges, and financial investment in reducing the price of food for our customers.”

FGS Global who deal with communications for the Issa brothers were approached for comment but did not respond.