Legal move for Asda in a case of equal pay

Asda has lost the first of three stages of its appeal against a decision that store and warehouse staff deserve an equal hourly rate of pay.

This decision means that the lower paid shop staff, mostly women, can be compared to the better paid warehouse workers, who are mostly men.

Asda stated that she was "disappointed" with the decision and stated that she remained confident in her case.

A decision as to whether the work is of equal value is likely to be in May.

In a statement, Asda said that she had appealed "because it was about complex legal issues that had never been fully tested in the private sector and that we would continue to to ensure that this case enjoys the legal review that it deserves ".

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The Labor Court first ruled against Asda in October 2016. Asda then appealed the decision for ten different reasons.

In August 2017, the employment appeal court ruled that all the appeals were unsuccessful. Asda then brought the case to the Court of Appeal.

Leigh Day, who represented the staff, said the judgment was an "important step forward in the battle for fair wages".

"Historical judgment"

Leigh Day represents more than 30,000 employees of the four major supermarkets – Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons – in similar cases.

The lawyer said that claims against the four major supermarkets, if they lose their file and are forced to pay all eligible staff, could rise to more than 8 billion pounds sterling.

The GMB union, which represents some Asda workers, praised what it called a "historic" judgment.

Secretary General Tim Roache said, "We know we are not quite at the end, there are even more obstacles to overcome in this process and, as always, we are ready to negotiate if Asda wants to go around the table. "