Asda reportedly plotting more job cuts after making 475 staff redundant

Supermarket giant Asda is believed to be planning more job cuts shortly after it had carried out 475 staff redundancies, allegedly done without a consultation period.

According to The Telegraph, employees that were brought in to oversee the supermarket’s IT shift are the expected targets for the new slew of job cuts, as their tech-focused programme, dubbed ‘Project Future’, edges closer to completion.

Speaking to the media outlet, bosses for the retailer would not provide the exact number of staff to be impacted, but noted it would be “meaningful”.

The report comes on the heels of a slew of redundancies already carried out by Asda two weeks ago, done in an effort to restructure the business.

Additionally reported on by The Telegraph, the move came under scrutiny as it was understood impacted employees were not given any forewarning, despite businesses being typically required to provide a 45-day consultation period.

The publication said the cuts have led union chiefs to consider discrimination claims against Asda, yet its chairman Lord Rose has denied any wrongdoing, stating to the press that it was “categorically not against the law”.

According to Rose, the abrupt dismissals were the most “humane way” to carry out the lay-offs, allegedly awarding employees more compensation than they would have received during a consultation and removing weeks of uncertainty.