Staff said they were paid less than workers in the distribution centres for equal work.
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Tesco workers have won a landmark victory in their equal pay case at the European Court of Justice.
Staff said they were paid less than workers in the distribution centres for equal work.
Female workers made up the majority of the store staff whilst the distribution centres are mainly staffed by men.
And the distribution centre workers were being paid up to £3 more per hour than their shop-based colleagues.
The court applied an EU law in this case and backed the workers’ legal argument.
Under this law, a worker can compare themselves to staff in another premises as long as a “single source” could correct the pay disparity.
In this case, that source is Tesco itself.
Impact on thousands of workers
This ruling is significant for thousands of current and former Tesco employees.
As the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco has over 4000 stores nationwide and employs around 300,000 staff.
And the landmark ruling shows that this European provision does apply in the UK.
Tesco is yet to respond to the ruling publicly.
Retail sector
There was a similar ruling by the UK Supreme Court earlier this year.
Workers from Asda supermarkets sought equal pay between shop and warehouse staff. The gender divide is similar at both Asda and Tesco.
This ruling did not guarantee the workers’ extra pay, however, but they are able to take further action. It found that the work could be compared but was not necessarily of equal value to the business.
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HeadlineTesco staff backed by European Court of Justice in equal pay claim
Short HeadlineTesco staff win European court appeal over pay
StandfirstThe court ruled that store staff work could be compared with that of workers in distribution centres and warehouses
Tesco workers have won a landmark victory in their equal pay case at the European Court of Justice.
Staff said they were paid less than workers in the distribution centres for equal work.
Female workers made up the majority of the store staff whilst the distribution centres are mainly staffed by men.
And the distribution centre workers were being paid up to £3 more per hour than their shop-based colleagues.
The court applied an EU law in this case and backed the workers’ legal argument.
Under this law, a worker can compare themselves to staff in another premises as long as a “single source” could correct the pay disparity.
In this case, that source is Tesco itself.
Impact on thousands of workers
This ruling is significant for thousands of current and former Tesco employees.
As the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco has over 4000 stores nationwide and employs around 300,000 staff.
And the landmark ruling shows that this European provision does apply in the UK.
Tesco is yet to respond to the ruling publicly.
Retail sector
There was a similar ruling by the UK Supreme Court earlier this year.
Workers from Asda supermarkets sought equal pay between shop and warehouse staff. The gender divide is similar at both Asda and Tesco.
This ruling did not guarantee the workers’ extra pay, however, but they are able to take further action. It found that the work could be compared but was not necessarily of equal value to the business.
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