Members of Parliament have written to Asda, urging its bosses to end sex discrimination and provide equal pay to its supermarket staff.
In total, 159 politicians signed the letter, which called on TDR Capital, the retailer’s majority owners, to settle a legal dispute which has led to tens of thousands of employees taking their case to an employment tribunal.
At least 60,000 most female staff have been battling for several years to get the same wages as warehouse workers, who are predominantly male.
The letter highlights that “women workers on the shop floor earn up to £3.74 per hour less than their male counterparts in warehouses” and insists that they are owed back pay totally more than £2 billion.
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The tribunal hearing is now in its second stage, with the GMB union stressing that an independent assessment has found that the roles of those in supermarkets is equivalent or equal to the work of warehouse workers, indicating they should be paid equally.
If the case progresses, Asda will have to prove that there is a genuine reason for the pay difference between store workers and warehouse workers which is not based on sex.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: “GMB members working in Asda stores will be delighted to know that politicians support their cause. Low paid women workers have propped up the profits of retail giants for too long, its time they are paid properly for the valuable work they do.
“The courts and now politicians are waking up to the scale of discrimination faced by women retail workers and now Asda’s owners have a chance to do the right thing and pay them what they are owed.”
Michael Newman, partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the workers, said: “The law has recognised the right to equal pay for decades, but we are now seeing its increasing importance in the political arena, shown by the 159 MPs writing to Asda’s majority owners. As the prospect of a new Employment Bill looms, the length of time these cases are taking to resolve shows the urgent need for reform. For the tens of thousands of workers that we represent in their equal pay claims against Asda, any reform cannot come quickly enough.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We fully respect the right of current and former colleagues to bring this case, however, we strongly reject any claim that Asda’s pay rates are influenced by gender. There are numerous different jobs within retail and within warehouses. We continue to defend these claims because retail and distribution are two different industry sectors that have their own distinct skill sets and pay structures.”
The case, which officially began in 2016, is expected to conclude before the end of this year.
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