Michala Lafferty – Usdaw Area Organiser says: “Usdaw is the trade union for Asda staff in Northern Ireland and we met with the company to feedback how angry our members are. They are outraged by the company’s proposals, demonstrated by the comments which have been given direct to the company and those who have signed the petition now passing 2,000 signatures and growing.
“The company listened to our representations and said they understood the strength of feeling. They will continue to assess all the feedback received as part of the consultation, which closes on 3 March, and make a decision at that point as to how they want to proceed. So Usdaw’s campaign continues and we urge all staff opposed to the pension cuts to make sure they sign our petition.
“Usdaw believes that to worsen the current terms and conditions of the scheme is unfair, unreasonable and unnecessary. Pensions are not a bonus or gift – they are based on earnings and are effectively deferred wages, so these proposals amount to nothing more than a wage cut.”
Asda has proposed changes to the pension plan that will affect staff by:
- them having less choice about saving for their retirement,
- the company no longer matching staff pension contributions, opting to pay less than staff into the scheme,
- the death in service provision reducing from 4 times pay to 1 times pay for everyone.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
Oppose ASDA's planned pension cuts: https://www.usdaw.org.uk/AsdaPetition
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion