Asda tills

Asda has announced 1,360 redundancies

Asda has defended the redundancy package it is offering in-store managers affected by its ongoing restructuring programme, insisting the payments are the same as those offered to staff at its Asda House HQ in March.

Since Asda confirmed last week there would be 1,360 redundancies as part of the restructure - as opposed to the 2,600 it had originally estimated - staff have taken to online forums, including thegrocer.co.uk, to question the move.

Some argued the lower figure was due to the redundancy package not being good enough or as good as the Asda House deal. Others claimed they wanted to take redundancy but could not because they had been offered a new lower-paid position or a job in a different store.

But Asda insisted all staff were being offered the same payment plan.

Staff with fewer than five years’ service would get statutory redundancy, an Asda spokesman told The Grocer. Those with more than five years would get statutory redundancy plus one month’s salary for every five years of service, up to a maximum of 20 years.

The only difference was that Asda House staff did not have to work out their 12-week notice period, the spokesman said, adding any member of staff who had been offered a lower-paid role or a move to a different store would be entitled to take redundancy.

They would also be able to take a four-week trial in the new role, after which the employee or Asda could still decide to go down the redundancy route.