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Wales Online
Wales Online
Levi Winchester & Matt Gibson

Asda scraps pay premium for 1,500 delivery drivers amid cost of living crisis

Asda has gone back on a promise to its delivery drivers that it would keep a temporary pay premium in place until Christmas. The decision means that 1,500 employees across 35 stores will see their hourly pay slashed by more than 12 per cent.

The Mirror reports that the supermarket chain is axing a temporary £1.50-an-hour premium put in place over the summer affecting stores in London and the south coast. The premium to drivers’ £10.10-an-hour rate will come to an end on October 21.

Asda's decision comes as families are struggling amid the cost of living crisis. And it abandons its previous promise that the bolstered rate would remain until Christmas.

GMB Union national officer, Nadine Houghton said: “Asda’s attempt to address its driver shortage was a sticking plaster that was never going to work. Asda needs to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers – as is their shop-floor pay.

“A temporary or one-off payment was never going to go far enough and entice drivers at a time when they are in high demand. Drivers need to be paid competitive rates for the job or they will continue to find work elsewhere.”

Asda said the enhanced pay package “has not delivered the desired results”. It added that all workers affected by the decision had been contacted.

A spokesperson from Asda told The Mirror: “In July, we began a trial in a small number of stores to pay a discretionary supplement to delivery drivers in order to assess what impact this has on colleague recruitment and retention. This trial was scheduled to end in December, but will finish at the end of this month, because it has not delivered the desired results.”

The update comes on the heels of GMB branding Asda the “worst paying’ grocer of the Big Four supermarkets. Aldi, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have increased the basic hourly rate to £10.50, £10.30 and £10.25 respectively.

Asda said: “We’re listening to our colleagues and taking action to support them wherever we are able. This year we have invested in two pay increases for our hourly-paid store colleagues and were able to pay a bonus worth an average of £413 to full-time, hourly paid colleagues.”

For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.

Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill

Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs

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