More than 800 Asda store staff face pay cut or redundancy
The proposed cost-cutting measures are reportedly aimed at regaining ground lost to budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl
HUNDREDS of Asda workers are facing a pay cut or redundancy as part of a cost-cutting plan.
Under the proposals, set to come into effect next year, 842 section leaders could be removed from store management teams.
Thousands more employees could also be hit by a reduction in hours.
The proposed cuts are an attempt to close the gap with budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, according to , who first reported the news.
A document given to Asda workers, which was seen by the paper, read: "Being the cheapest of the big four is no longer a viable business model. We need to be able to look at ways to reduce our operating costs in order to close the price gap."
An Asda spokesperson confirmed to the Sun Online that a consultation period has now begun.
The spokesman said: “In November, we began consulting with colleagues in our Grocery Home Shopping and Ambient teams about potential changes to the way they work to improve availability for customers.
"Whilst these are only proposals, we know talking about change is unsettling which is why we’re working with our colleagues to get their views before any final decisions are made early next year.
"Once we’re clear on a course of action, we’ll talk to our colleagues first and foremost and as quickly as possible.”
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The move marks the latest in a string of job cuts at the supermarket, which already axed hundreds of jobs earlier this year.
Asda is in the midst of a turnaround plan under new boss Sean Clarke, who is attempting to arrest declining sales as the retailer scraps it out with rivals in a brutal price war.
But the supermarket is not the only one struggling to compete with the fast-growing discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Many major supermarkets have announced job cuts this year.
BARGAIN SHOPPER Lidl has overtaken Waitrose as shoppers turn to discounters – but analysts warn that grocery bills will continue to rise
In June, Tesco announced it is shedding 1,200 jobs as part of a major cost-cutting drive.
The supermarket revealed that about 25 per cent of employees at offices in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield will lose their jobs.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury's is also looking to cut around 2,000 jobs across the business to slash costs by £500 million.
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