UK Supermarket Equal Pay

The Case

Therium is financing equal pay claims for supermarket workers for breach of ‘equality’ term implied into employment contracts via the Equality Act 2010. The claimants who are mostly female, are claiming for pay equal with their male counterparts.

Why It’s Significant

The claim against this supermarket is one of a handful of claims against UK supermarkets for unfair treatment of female employees, having received lower pay despite their work being of equal value to that of male colleagues. The claim against Asda, the most advanced of the claims against UK supermarkets, won a Supreme Court ruling in Q1 2021 determining that lower-paid shop staff (who are mostly women) can compare themselves with higher paid warehouse workers (who are mostly men). The claim seeks to compensate over 10,000 employees that have been underpaid but also helps disincentivise UK employers from breaching the Equality Act 2010.