Lowest-paying of big supermarkets says trial of temporary premiums 'not delivering desired results'
Asda apologised at the time and said it was taking action to ensure it never happened again. “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. Asda raised pay to £10.10 an hour in July after a campaign by the GMB union which singled out the supermarket as the lowest payer among the big chains. Asda said it had introduced the higher rate for drivers in those areas because they were experiencing “higher levels of job market challenge than average”. Asda needs to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers – as is their shop-floor pay. Tesco will pay £10.30 an hour from next month.
Asda has cut the hourly rates of pay for 1500 of its delivery drivers as it scraps the £1.50-an-hour premium launched during the summer.
“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. This comes following GMB’s survey which found of 3,200 Asda workers, half are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner this year. We have spoken to all colleagues impacted by this change.” Asda needs to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers – as is their shop-floor pay,” GMB union national officer, Nadine Houghton said. “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. A spokesperson for Asda said: “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.
Asda will cut the hourly pay of its 1500 grocery delivery drivers despite concerns surrounding the cost-of-living crisis.
“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. Asda needs to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers – as is their shop-floor pay. [grocer](https://www.asda.com/) is ditching a £1.50-an-hour premium which it launched in the summer to find new drivers delivering groceries to homes from some stores.
The supermarket chain abandoned its pledge to keep it in place until Christmas, cutting drivers' pay by more than 12 per cent.
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.” Asda said: “We’re listening to our colleagues and taking action to support them wherever we are able. Aldi, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have increased the basic hourly rate to £10.50, £10.30 and £10.25 respectively. “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. The premium to drivers’ £10.10-an-hour rate will come to an end on October 21. Asda needs to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers – as is their shop-floor pay.
The leading supermarket is ending a temporary £1.50-an-hour premium introduced in the summer across some 35 stores.
According to a GMB survey of 3,200 Asda workers, 90% worry they won’t be able to heat their homes. Asda said the enhanced pay package “has not delivered the desired results” and said all affected workers have been contacted. "Asda need to address the fundamental issue: driver pay is much lower than other retailers - as their shop-floor pay. 1,500 delivery drivers will be affected by the decision by the leading supermarkets, as more than 12 per cent of pay will be cut as households continue to battle against rising costs. "Drivers need to be paid competitive rates for the job or they will continue to find work elsewhere." [Asda](https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/all-about/asda) had previously promised to keep the enhanced rate in place until Christmas, [Mirror Online reports](https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/asda-cut-pay-1500-delivery-28208621).