Asda short-changing 3,000 staff says MP

AN MP says Asda is short-changing 3,000 staff with changes to contracts to end paid breaks.

The supermarket is in consultations to simplify terms for hourly paid workers and increase the basic pay to £9 per hour.

But Siobhain McDonagh, Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, says staff could be £500 worse off per year.

In a letter she tweeted yesterday, she wrote: ‘£500+ is a huge amount of money and would have a significant impact on their livelihoods. I welcome any increase in basic hourly pay but this must not be used to disguise a significant cut for 3,000 staff.’

Employees will be asked to be more flexible and breaks would no longer be paid. Asda vicepresident Anthony Hemmerdinger said: ‘A key part of delivering great service is having the right colleagues in the right place at the right time, which is what this aims to achieve.’