Equal pay case could cost Tesco £4 billion

TESCO is facing one of Britain’s biggest equal pay claims and a bill that could reach £4billion.

Lawyers said the case could eventually involve 200,000 women employees claiming they are paid less than men for work of equal value.

Law firm Leigh Day argue that employees in the male-dominated distribution centres are paid considerably more than those in the largely female-staffed Tesco stores.

Distribution staff can earn £11 an hour while most store staff get about £8 an hour. The disparity could see a fulltime distribution worker earning £100 a week, or £5,000 a year, more than store staff on the same hours, Leigh Day said.

The firm said it has been approached by more than 1,000 employees and former employees of the supermarket.

Lawyers will take the first stage of the claim to the conciliation service Acas this week. Leigh Day’s Paula Lee said: “We believe an inherent bias has allowed store workers to be underpaid for many years. There should be no argument that workers in stores, compared with those working in distribution centres, contribute at least equal value to the vast profits made by Tesco.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “Tesco has always been a place for people to get on in their career, regardless of their gender, background or education, and we work hard to make sure all our colleagues are paid fairly and equally.”