Posted on: 23 May 2025

Dear GMB members in ASDA Retail,

Your GMB Health and Safety reps met yesterday with ASDA. We are pleased to update on some key wins for GMB members following this meeting:

Customer abuse and retail crime:

We know the impact that violence and abuse has on your day to day lives. It's unacceptable and we have been campaigning hard for ASDA to take their responsibilities towards their colleagues seriously when it comes to this issue.

We are really pleased that it finally feels like ASDA are starting to listen to your union on this issue. The team responsible for security in stores have now produced a robust programme of action which the GMB hopes will deliver improvements:

• Facial recognition is being trialled as a way of detecting repeat offenders and warning stores when someone of concern enters the store.
• De-escalation training for security is being ramped up - the GMB have asked that all retail colleagues are provided with some form of de-escalation training.
• Kit to support security in stores is being re-invested in, including CCTV cameras and Body Worn Cameras.
• The reporting of incidents will hopefully become easier as new technology will be trialled to support colleagues to report - GMB have requested this reporting system is made available to all shop floor colleagues and that all incidents can be reported not just violent incidents or those of theft, for example, we think ASDA should understand when verbal harassment is taking place.

Home Shopping Drivers:

ASDA had proposed installing driver facing cameras into the home shopping vans. The camera and an AI system, called the Driver Distraction System, would have been used to identify subtle movements from drivers and provide audio prompts if there was a concern around driver safety, for example if the AI technology believed a driver was displaying signs of tiredness.

The GMB had serious concerns that the use of this technology amounted to a severe breach of privacy and unnecessary intrusion on a driver while at work, ultimately leading to drivers leaving the business.

GMB is really pleased that ASDA have listened to our feedback and have indefinitely halted the Driver Distraction System trial. This is a huge win for GMB drivers and your health and safety representatives.

We have now committed to work with ASDA on the issues that our driver members tell us need resolving; fixing or replacing reversing cameras, improving the conditions of the vans, ensuring adequate time to carry out deliveries, improving outcomes for vehicle defect checks, making it easier for drivers to take breaks, improving sanitation, sat nav improvements and air conditioning in the vans.

We will keep you updated on the progress of all of this as we work hard to improve the working lives of ASDA colleagues.

Thanks for your continued support.

Your GMB national health and safety team.