A letter from Asda staff to management at Swindon's biggest supermarket has lifted the lid on a number of allegations. 

In the letter, which says it has been written with the union GMB, staff working at the Orbital Shopping Park branch in North Swindon say that if the matters raised are not resolved they may consider industrial action.

Issues they raise include claims of not being paid due to a new pay system being installed, chronic understaffing, severe lack of investment and the general state of the store. 

In response, Asda told the Adver that its new pay system was an improvement and that it was investing into stores, which also included more hours for staff. 

It follows news this week that Asda's sales figures are plummeting, which has led to the GMB union calling on the company to do something now in order to protect jobs. 

On payment, staff said: "The new operating system for pay is not working and not consistent when correcting pay errors... We have no confidence that we will be paid what we are owed, when we are owed it."

In response, an Asda spokesperson said: “The suggestion that our operating system for pay is not working is incorrect.

"Since our transition to a new payroll system earlier this year, the number of payroll discrepancies has significantly reduced across our entire estate.

"We’re now seeing fewer colleague pay queries than we were before switching over to this new system.”

Staff said that staffing levels were unsustainable and that this was having an impact on their health and wellbeing. 

"Colleagues are exhausted, anxious and on the brink of breaking point," the letter said. "Reductions to store hours mean that understaffing has increased workloads to the point where it is often impossible to get all the jobs completed safely. Some departments can be left understaffed, or at times unstaffed altogether."

Staff claim that when they raise concerns about the workload to the store's management they are told to 'like it or lump it'. 

In response, the Asda spokesperson confirmed that investment was being made, but did not specify if this would include the Swindon store.

They said: “We are investing an additional £30m during the remainder of the year to improve the in-store experience. This includes putting extra hours into store to help colleagues provide an even better service to customers.” 

Another area that staff wanted addressed was the state of the equipment they use, and the store itself. 

"The lack of equipment (pump trucks and waste bags etc) and the more state of repair of the equipment that is on-site (red tags not actioned, for example) needs urgent attention," they said. 

"The store is in a very poor state of repair with roof leaks in the staff canteen, the warehouse and on the shop floor, with buckets positioned to catch the water rather than addressing the leaks themselves."

The Asda spokesperson did not address the specific issues raised here but did highlight that investment into the business was being made.

“Since acquiring Asda in 2021, the shareholders have invested £3.8bn to grow the business organically and via strategic acquisitions," they said.

"This includes launching Asda Express, a nationwide chain of convenience stores, Asda Rewards, a successful loyalty programme now used by six million customers, and a £415m investment in retail pay to make Asda the highest-paying traditional supermarket.”

The spokesperson added: "We value feedback from our colleagues and have established processes in place for them to raise any concerns they may have. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any specific concerns they may have further.”

In November 2023, the North Swindon store was slapped with a zero-star food hygiene rating, but was re-inspected in December and given three stars and then reinspected again in April and given the full five stars.