Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she is taking to ensure there is agreement between (a) Asda’s owners, (b) Asda’s employees and (c) trade unions on the terms of the new deal, known as Contract 6, being offered by Asda to its employees.

Government has regular engagement with retailers.

A legal framework exists which ensures that employers should always treat their employees fairly.

In general, the terms and conditions of employment are for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives).  Once agreed, however, they form a legally binding contract of employment.  While it is always open to either party to seek to renegotiate the terms of the contract, if the employer changes any of the terms without the employee’s agreement, the employee may be entitled to seek legal redress.

Both employers and employees are strongly encouraged to follow the guidance available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/your-employment-contract-how-it-can-be-changed when considering changing their terms and conditions of employment.