They’ll be wanting the vote next!
More than 150 members of parliament have called on Asda’s bosses to settle its ongoing gender equal pay legal battle, GMB union reports.
According to the union, 159 MPs have written to the supermarket’s majority owners TDR Capital, calling on them to finally end its ‘gender discrimination’ employment case, which is currently in its second stage.
The lead signatory on the letter is Labour MP Nadia Whittome, though other notable names are included, such as Labour former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, and current Plaid Cymru Westminster group leader Liz Saville-Roberts.
The letter is demanding TDR Capital founding and managing partners, Manjit Dale and Gary Lindsay, “to urgently commence settlement negotiations with the GMB union”
The letter also states the backdated pay retail workers may be “owed” is now over £2bn, stressing “now is the time for Asda to begin seriously considering how to address the issue of pay discrimination”.
An Asda spokesperson said: “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.”
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “GMB members working in Asda stores will be delighted to know that politicians support their cause.
“Low paid women workers have propped up the profits of retail giants for too long, its time they are paid properly for the valuable work they do. The courts and now politicians are waking up to the scale of discrimination faced by women retail workers and now Asda’s owners have a chance to do the right thing and pay them what they are owed.”
The letter follows in the wake of Asda workers earlier this month staging demonstrations, as the supermarket giant’s second stage of its landmark case kicked off, set to impact over 60,000 employees.
Last month, more than 3,500 current and former employees at Next won the final stage of a six-year legal battle over equal pay.
An employment tribunal ruled that Next’s store staff, who are more than 80% women, should not have been paid at lower rates than its warehouse workers. The amount of back-pay owed to the claimants could amount to more than £30m.
Next is currently appealing the decision and warned that if it fails to get it overturned, it could make some stores unviable.
The fashion giant explained that the burden of extra pay, which some have warned could cost the retailer £30m, would impact the profitability of individual stores.
The retailer said: “Inevitably some of our stores will no longer be viable if this ruling is upheld on appeal”.
“Materially increasing store operating costs will result in more shops being closed when their leases expire, and will materially impede our ability to open new stores going forward.”
They’ll be wanting the vote next!
