Supermarket giant Asda is giving 103,000 staff a bonus, with full-time workers getting more than £400 extra as staff share a £27.8 million handout.
Some full-time employees will get £413, while average hourly-paid colleagues will receive £269, reports the Mirror.
Under Asda's bonus policy, all hourly-paid store workers are entered into a reward scheme once they have completed their three-month probationary period. Staff also get 10 per cent off shopping in store and online, entry to a company pension scheme and discounts on services and activities.
Asda people director Hayley Tatum said: "This payout is only possible thanks to the continued hard work and dedication of our store colleagues. They did a fantastic job serving millions of customers last year, often in challenging circumstances due to the pandemic, and their bonuses are well deserved.”
Meanwhile, latest figures have disclosed that Asda pays its male workers more than some female counterparts. A gender report said the mean pay difference between men and women was eight per cent last year, compared to 8.4 per cent in 2020.
The median pay difference between all male and female workers was 6.1 per cent in 2021 - higher than the 5.5 per cent gap in 2020.
The mean figure is derived when all salaries are added up then divided by the number of workers per gender. Some statisticians prefer median figures because mean averages can give skewed results.
Asda defended itself by saying the figures were still below the national average gender pay gap.
The UK’s national average median pay gap between men and women is 15.4 per cent and the mean pay gap is 14.6 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Ms Tatum added: “We’re pleased that the 2021 results reflect the work we’ve been doing and continue to do to have more women in senior roles, increasing their representation from 38 per cent in 2020 to 40 per cent in 2021. We know there is more we can do to reduce our gender pay gap and this remains a core focus for us.”
The news comes after thousands of Asda lorry drivers, warehouse staff and clerical workers this week voted against a pay offer, threatening strikes that could affect supplies at almost all stores in the UK.
Almost 70 per cent of the GMB union’s 8,000 members within Asda’s distribution network, which employs 12,000 in total, voted to reject pay rises of between five per cent and 7.5 per cent.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
