Asda to ‘end paid breaks’ for staff

Asda has been accused of short-changing 3,000 supermarket staff under proposed changes to employee contracts that will see the end of paid breaks.

The supermarket has said consultations were taking place to simplify terms for hourly paid workers and increase the basic rate of pay to £9 per hour. But Siobhain Mcdonagh, MP for Mitcham and Morden, has claimed in a letter to Asda chief executive Roger Burnley that staff involved were likely to be up to £500 worse off a year. The loss of paid breaks and shortening of night shifts would hit staff wages, Ms Mcdonagh said.