Asda workers are to stage demonstrations as an equal pay claim begins today (9 September), marking the second stage of a landmark court case set to impact over 60,000 employees.
Workers are to gather outside the TUC Congress in Brighton and Manchester where the case will be held.
The case is expected to last three months, according to GMB union.
The union has argued that the predominantly female retail workforce are paid up to £3.74 an hour less than the warehouse workers, who are mainly male.
In the second stage of the supermarket’s equal value case, which is one of the biggest in the private sector, the union will argue that retail work is of equal value to Asda as warehouse work is, with a ruling expected in 2025.
The tribunal will look at multiple jobs including checkout operators, shop floor staff and customer service desk in retail, and in depots the roles include warehouse colleagues who operate high reach trucks and those who work in a chilled/frozen environment.
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If the roles are found to be of equal value, the case is expected to move to a third and final stage, which will consider whether there are justifiable reasons for the pay differences.
If successful, the union has claimed the bill for the grocery retailer could “run into billions of pounds”.
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “Asda workers are making history. The result of this hearing will call time on the retailers undervaluing their predominantly women shop floor workers.
“The entire retail sector has been built on the structural undervaluing of women’s work but GMB members are changing this.”
An Asda spokesperson added: “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 court case follows in the wake of Next losing its own equal pay claim last month, in a verdict that is thought to cost the retailer as much as £30m.
