Tesco facing Britain's largest ever equal pay claim
A legal action has been brought on behalf of thousands of Tesco female shopfloor staff, who claim that they have been underpaid by comparison with their warehouse worker colleagues. It is considered to be the largest ever equal pay claim, which, if successful, could cost Tesco up to £4 billion in back pay.
Leigh Day, a law firm, has launched legal action on behalf of nearly 100 shop assistants who say they earn as much as £3 an hour less than male warehouse workers in similar roles, according to an article in The Guardian.
Tesco warehouse staff earn from about £8.50 an hour up to more than £11 an hour while store staff earn about £8 an hour in basic pay, according to the claim. Up to 200,000 shopfloor staff could be affected by the claim.
Leigh Day has begun submitting claims through Acas, the conciliation service, as the first step before heading to the employment tribunal.
Tesco responded by saying it worked hard to ensure all staff were paid "fairly and equally".
