A cardboard cutout of Manjit Dale, billionaire owner of Asda featured in the first leg of a region-wide tour of demonstrations outside Asda superstores.
Members of GMB, the union for Asda, demonstrated today outside the Clapham Junction Superstore over asset stripping by billionaire owners, TDR Capital.
Under TDR Capital, Asda’s private equity owners, millions of hours have been slashed from the shop floor as the company desperately tries to service its debt mountain. [1]
The demonstration featured a lifesize cutout of Manjit Dale from TDR Capital to highlight the plight of the low-paid, predominantly women members who are owed thousands by the company run by billionaire owners.
The members were sent a message of support from the local MP for Battersea.
Marsha De Cordova MP said:
“I am proud to be supporting Asda workers campaigning against asset stripping at the Clapham Junction store in Battersea.
“It’s shocking that that approximately 7 per cent of staff hours in the store have been cut in the past two years alone which is leading to health and safety issues, dirty stores, and declining standards.
“Workers are being treated unfairly, and they shouldn’t have to pay for ASDA’s debt mountain. The fault lies solely with the owners’ mismanagement of finances.
“I call on ASDA to take immediate action to improve workplace safety at the store and settle backdated equal pay claims for shop floor workers who are predominantly women.”
