Hundreds of Asda staff stage protest against new working contracts

Asda workers stage protest Credit: ITV Calendar

Hundreds of workers at supermarket giant Asda, have staged a protest against new contracts they say will make them worse off.

Members of the GMB union gathered in Leeds this afternoon to voice their opposition to the so-called Contract 6. The union said workers face being dismissed in early November if they do not sign the controversial contracts.

The new agreement will mean that workers will not be paid for any breaks and will have to work on bank holidays and weekends.

  • WATCH: Asda workers marching through Leeds City Centre

However, in response an Asda spokesman said:

"The retail sector is undergoing significant change and it is important that we are able to keep pace with these changes.

"The overwhelming majority of our colleagues have signed onto the new contracts and while we appreciate that some of our colleagues find the changes more unsettling, we do not want any of them to leave.

"This contract is about increasing the take-home pay of more than 100,000retail colleagues through an investment of more than £80 million and ensuring that everyone doing the same job is on the same terms and conditions."