07 April 2017

Nick Beighton, Chief Executive of ASOS, has said a warehouse exposed for its poor conditions by GMB is "great" and no changes will be made.

According to the Guardian, the executive told a group of local MPs that he and other members of senior management have pulled shifts at the Barnsley site and found there to be no problems with ways of working.

"Barnsley is something we are immensely proud of," he was quoted as saying. "We don't claim to be perfect, none of us are. But every time we don't like the sound of [something] we have a look and fix it."

GMB has previously criticised Asos for not allowing workers to take regular toilet or water breaks, and in evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee last week, added that half of staff at the site are agency workers with no guarantee of employment who are subject to short notice shift changes.

Beighton stated that the company has addressed GMB's allegations and staff satisfaction had increased as a result, but the Guardian reported that Transline – the employment agency hired to recruit workers to the logistics site – told MPs they were not aware of any improvements made at the site since the union complaint.

Asos said the claims around toilet and water breaks were "misleading" and "inaccurate" and Beighton told MPs that "there is nothing to resolve" and "no next steps" will be taken to improve conditions at the location.

The BEIS Committee has requested to visit the site and Asos is yet to agree a date for them to do so.