Historic Equal Pay Win for Tens of Thousands of Asda Workers
A court ruling could lead to significant payouts for Asda’s female workers, marking a major equal pay victory.
Asda, Equal Pay, Manchester, UK, GMB Union
Manchester: Tens of thousands of Asda workers might receive historic payouts. This includes checkout staff, customer service workers, and shop floor assistants, most of whom are women. They are part of the largest private sector equal pay claim ever.
A recent court ruling stated that many shop floor roles are of “equal value” to better-paid warehouse jobs. Most warehouse workers are men, while the majority of shop floor workers are women.
The Manchester Employment Tribunal compared 14 shop floor roles to 17 warehouse roles. They found that 12 of the shop floor roles were equal in value to some warehouse jobs. This could mean big payouts for the workers involved.
However, two roles did not meet the equal value standard. Asda plans to challenge this ruling, arguing that other factors justify the pay differences.
Over 60,000 workers accused Asda of sex discrimination. They discovered that warehouse workers earned up to £3.74 more per hour than shop floor staff.
The GMB Union and Leigh Day solicitors argued that this was an equal pay issue. The tribunal’s decision is a significant win for the women, who could receive £1.2 billion in back pay and an annual pay increase of £400 million.
The victory includes various shop floor roles, like checkout operators and assistants in different departments. However, the personal shopper and edible grocery assistant roles were not found to be of equal value.
The union is considering all options, including an appeal. Asda claims that the ruling dismissed 20% of the claims, emphasizing a “mixed picture” in the decision.
Asda needs to prove that other factors justify the pay differences in its male-dominated warehouse roles. An Asda spokesperson stated they reject claims of discriminatory pay rates.
In summer 2023, a leaked email revealed that an independent expert found the women’s roles to be of equal value. GMB National Officer Nadine Houghton called this a historic step for equal pay justice.
However, she expressed disappointment for those whose roles were not deemed equal. Many have fought for over ten years for fair pay.
Houghton urged Asda to settle the case instead of prolonging it in court. Lauren Lougheed from Leigh Day echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that equal pay is a fundamental right.