Asda employees are being balloted over whether to strike in a dispute over pay.
GMB Union said it is making the move because bosses "refuse to increase retail workers basic pay of £10.10 per hour in line with the other 'big four'".
The ballot, which will close on December 4, comes after the Financial Times reported the billionaire Issa brothers, who co-own the supermarket giant, borrowed tens of millions of euros interest-free from their Lancashire-headquartered petrol station empire EG Group to buy two private jets.
READ MORE: Click here to sign up to the BusinessLive North West newsletter
According to the report, corporate filings show that Mohsin and Zuber Issa took out €39mn in unsecured loans in 2018 from the group, which is co-owned by TDR.
It also states that EG Group lent the money to two companies in the Isle of Man that had been set up that year through which the brothers personally own the planes.
In a release announcing the strike ballot, GMB Union said Asda workers are "incensed" by the report.
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: "Asda's retail workers are now seeing their hourly rate of pay slip to the bottom of the pile - again.
"Meanwhile the Issa brothers are loaning themselves tens of millions to buy private jets.
"Other companies see the need to protect staff from the cost-of-living crisis by offering increased pay rises and staff discounts.
"It’s time Asda bosses took a leaf out of their book and invested in staff, instead of further debt leveraging Asda to expand their empire."
BusinessLive understands, from a person familiar with the matter, that commercial interest will be paid on the loans for the private jets which will be backdated.
An Asda spokesman said: "We understand the impact the cost of living crisis is having on our colleagues and have made two separate pay investments this year to increase retail colleague pay by nearly 8% - taking the rate to £10.10 per hour.
"We were also one of the few supermarkets to pay colleagues a bonus this year, worth an average of £413 for a full time hourly paid colleague.
"We will confirm our 2023 pay rates to colleagues in the New Year."
A spokesperson for EG said: "EG Group occasionally charters aircraft from the Clear Sky companies to facilitate secure travel to international business meetings and to support the effective management of our in-country operations in ten international markets across Europe, USA and Australia.
"These flights are procured at standard commercial rates, in line with the rates charged by other operators, and all the necessary disclosures for these related party transactions are made in the EG Group accounts.
"There were no transactions disclosed in 2020 and 2021 due to the small sums involved as a result of limited travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Loans to the Clear Sky companies are fully disclosed in the EG Group accounts.
"The repayment of these loans are guaranteed by Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa personally."
READ NEXT:
- Silentnight losses continue to widen despite sales rise as headcount falls by 250
Shares spike at Russell Hobbs seller Ultimate Products after sales and profits surge
Hollyoaks and Celebs Go Dating maker bounces back from pandemic slump
Private equity giant that used to own Dreams and ScS buys Manchester digital agency
