GMB union takes on Asos over job cuts

The GMB union has called on Asos to “come clean” on the scale of job losses in the offing at the pureplay’s customer care centre in Leavesden, Hertfordshire and HQ in Camden, London.

This follows a report in the Sunday Times which said that 500 jobs would go, as the location of call centre staff are "aligned" to parts of the world where customers live.

Also of interest: GlobalData praises agile Asos for riding out coronavirus storm

In an email circulated to Asos staff, CEO Nick Beighton said: ‘It should be stressed that this is not an impact of Covid-19. Our recent P3 numbers and our ability to repay furlough, have little or no bearing on this activity.”

“This is about driving long-term efficiency, and what we are doing here, simply, is returning to our pre-pandemic plan of re-shaping our organisation to help us deliver on the ambition of being one of the few truly global leaders in retail’.

Steve Garelick, GMB London Regional officer, comments: “Earlier during the coronavirus lockdown 300 jobs were offshored to the Philippines. It looks to us that the 500 figure came from the PR agency who represents Asos. The fact that both the Sunday Times and the Mail had the same figure and that the Times confirmed the offshoring points to the PR agency as the source.”

“The Sunday Times report has all the hallmarks of a company announcement via the Sunday business sections of the national press. This is the standard modus operandi of the big PR agencies,” he adds. “A further 500 jobs being offshored on top of 300 earlier this year is a very significant loss of jobs in Leavesden and Camden.”

“The right thing for the company to do is to speak directly with their workers rather than spinning the news via PR agency and the national media,” Garelick concludes.

Asos did not respond to our request for comment.