Campaign to improve pay, terms and working conditions for members at Barnsley Distribution Centre of ASOS online retailer.

Profits have doubled from £15.7 million to £30.3 million yet employees are forced to work in draconian conditions on a daily basis says GMB.

GMB is stepping up a campaign at giant online retailer ASOS in a bid to highlight and address poor working conditions for members at the Barnsley distribution centre. From the 1.1m sq ft distribution centre in Barnsley ASOS supply consumers in more than 240 countries.

Deanne Ferguson, GMB organiser, said "Last April Nick Robertson OBE founder and CEO of ASOS was one of 103 bosses who called in the national media to vote for the Tory Party in the general election.

GMB responded that ASOS is against workers having rights and is just a really bad employer.

Members at the Barnsley site have had constant issues with health and safety eg hot working conditions, lack of access to water, etc. There is a huge turnover of agency staff, zero hours contracts where workers can be sent home or called in when not on shift.

The company has seen profits double from £15.7 million to £30.3 million as published in their last accounts, yet employees are forced to work in draconian conditions on a daily basis.

GMB has requested that ASOS meet as a matter of urgency to discuss members’ concerns about health and safety and poor working conditions, but the company has refused.  

Profit should not come at the price of workers’ terms and conditions; neither should it be at the price of poor health and safety.   Our message to workers at ASOS is simple, only if you join GMB will you see improvements within ASOS.

We are urging anyone who has not yet joined GMB who works at ASOS to do so, in order that we can improve pay and terms and working conditions on site.  We give a commitment to ensure that health and safety issues and other bad working practices are addressed.

We will do business with ASOS in public until such time as the company chooses to do business in private by recognizing the rights of their employees to trade union representation."

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Contact Deanne Ferguson Regional Organiser Yorkshire and North Derbyshire Region on 07850919933 or 0345 337 7777 or GMB press office 07972 251 823 or 07921 289880