Asda workers staged demonstrations this week as an equal pay claim began in the courts.

The GMB union said the case involves more than 60,000 workers, calling it the biggest ever in the private sector.

Workers demonstrated outside the TUC Congress in Brighton and in Manchester where the case will be held.

The case, expected to last three months, centres around claims that the predominantly female retail workforce is paid up to £3.74 per hour less than the predominantly male warehouse workforce. 

Around 20 or so demonstrators with union flags chanted, “What do we want? Equal Pay! When do we want it? Now!” outside Manchester Civil Courts of Justice, where the case is being heard.

TDR Capital and Blackburn's Mohsin Issa have the largest stakes in the supermarket which changed ownership in 2021.

The union is arguing that the predominantly female retail workforce is paid up to £3.74 an hour less than the mainly male warehouse workforce and that shop floor work should be of equal value to warehouse work.

As the hearing began Andrew Short KC, representing the union, told employment judges: “Job evaluation is not a science or an exercise in mathematics.

“Asda is in the business of getting goods to customers so customers can buy them. All the jobs do that.”

Mr Short suggested Asda’s pay structure placed a higher value on jobs done mainly by men and undervalued jobs typically done by women.
“It is a fundamental flaw,” he added.

Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: “Asda workers are making history. The result of this hearing will call time on the retailers undervaluing their predominantly women shop floor workers.

“The entire retail sector has been built on the structural undervaluing of women’s work but GMB members are changing this.”

The supermarket revealed the stage two hearing will assess whether certain store-based roles are of Equal Value to some depot-based roles. This is stage two hearing of three.
 
The tribunal will look at multiple jobs including checkout operators, shop floor staff and customer service desks in retail. In depots, the roles include warehouse colleagues who operate high reach trucks and those who work in a chilled/frozen environment. 

Asda would only move to the final stage if the tribunal finds that any store-based roles are of equal value to depot roles. 

An Asda spokesperson said on Friday: “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.”