{"id":18360,"date":"2021-03-26T10:02:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T14:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=18360"},"modified":"2021-03-26T10:02:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T14:02:36","slug":"asda-workers-win-key-appeal-in-equal-pay-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/03\/26\/asda-workers-win-key-appeal-in-equal-pay-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Asda workers win key appeal in equal pay fight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thousands of Asda supermarket workers have won a major victory at the Supreme Court in their battle for equal pay.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The court upheld an earlier court ruling that lower-paid shop staff, who are mostly women, can compare themselves with higher paid warehouse workers, who are mostly men.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The judge stressed the ruling did not mean the 44,000 claimants had won the right to equal pay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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However, they are now free to take further action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘Wasted money’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The GMB union, which has members involved in the case, called it “amazing news and a massive victory for Asda’s predominantly women shop floor workforce”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Asda has wasted money on lawyers’ bills chasing a lost cause, losing appeal after appeal, while tens of thousands of retail workers remain out of pocket,” said Susan Harris, the GMB’s legal director.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“We now call on Asda to sit down with us to reach agreement on the back pay owed to our members – which could run to hundreds of millions of pounds.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Wendy Arundale, who worked for Asda for 32 years, said: “I loved my job, but knowing that male colleagues working in distribution centres were being paid more left a bitter taste in my mouth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s not much to ask to be paid an equal wage for work of equal value.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But an Asda spokesman said there was a long way to go before the issues were finally settled: “This ruling relates to one stage of a complex case that is likely to take several years to reach a conclusion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“We are defending these claims because the pay in our stores and distribution centres is the same for colleagues doing the same jobs regardless of their gender. Retail and distribution are very different sectors with their own distinct skill sets and pay rates.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It said it remained confident in its case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘Watershed moment’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Lawyers say the ruling will have implications for supermarkets and other retailers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It would be difficult to underestimate the significance of this judgment which will send shockwaves far beyond Asda,” said Anne Pritam, partner and employment lawyer at Stephenson Harwood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“It is a watershed moment for the rest of the retail industry, particularly those defending their own equal pay claims – such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Next – and which have similar staffing models and pay structures.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Ultimately, if all of the retailers lose their equal pay claims, it is estimated they could face \u00a38bn in compensation payments to employees.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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