Morrisons shop workers fighting for equal pay have overcome another step in their legal process following an employment tribunal judgment.
The mainly female shop workers are claiming equal pay for work of equal value when compared with predominantly male employees who work in Morrisons’ distribution centres.
The last of three Stage 2 Equal Value hearings in relation to job descriptions was held at Leeds employment tribunal over several dates in November and December 2024. Their purpose was to decide which information would be included in the job descriptions of four female shop workers, and one male comparator working in one of the distribution centres.
The job descriptions finalised in this most recent judgment form part of a larger number of roles being assessed which includes seven claimant roles and six comparators.
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It is these detailed documents that independent experts will use to carry out a scoring exercise for the retail and distribution roles which the tribunal will consider as part of their decision as to whether the hourly paid retail store roles are of equal value to the hourly paid distribution centre roles.
The job descriptions of the female workers are representative of a large number of claimants in the same roles who form part of the total group of over 7,500 shop workers represented by Leigh Day.
According to the Equality Act 2010, even if work is not alike and not rated as equivalent, it can be equal in terms of the demands made, when factors such as effort, skill and decision-making are considered. The Morrisons claimants achieved a more favourable outcome on some of the most important aspects of the job roles, such as the use of customer service, judgement and experience in their roles.
Independent experts will now examine and report on how the jobs compare in terms of elements such as knowledge, experience, responsibility for planning, maintaining stocks, looking after finance, health and safety, data handling, the need for concentration, the stress of the job, problem solving, communication, physical skills and working conditions.
Emma Satyamurti, Leigh Day partner and joint head of employment, said the latest judgment represented a “critical step forward in the journey toward pay equality for Morrisons shop workers. It underscores the commitment of our clients to having their contributions properly valued, particularly when compared to their counterparts in distribution roles.”
Leigh Day is representing many of the workers involved.
Satyamurti added: “Ensuring that the job descriptions are comprehensive and accurate is a pivotal part of the equal pay process. This will provide the independent experts with the tools they need to make a robust assessment of the roles, examining key factors such as responsibility, skill, and working conditions.
She said that the tribunal decision brought the workers one step closer to achieving the “recognition and fairness they deserve for the vital work they do”.
Morrisons has previously argued that the tribunal should find that the retail staff could not be compared with the distribution centre workers because each Morrisons distribution centre had individual, collectively bargained terms and conditions.
It had argued that the employment terms of distribution centre workers were not common across all sites, so retail workers could not be compared with them as a group.
They also said individual negotiations of terms means distribution and retail workers were not employed by the same source.
Asda, Tesco and Next are among UK retailers facing similar claims.
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