A long-serving Asda worker, Jackie Ballantyne, has joined the GMB union's campaign for equal pay between shop floor staff and warehouse workers. The campaign, fueled by a recent Manchester Employment Tribunal ruling that deemed shop worker jobs of 'equal value' to higher-paid warehouse positions, seeks to address the pay disparity between predominantly female shop floor staff and predominantly male warehouse workers. Ballantyne argues that depot workers earn more despite shop floor staff handling customer interactions and product stocking.
A long-serving Asda worker has argued for equal pay with her male counterparts at the supermarket's distribution centers. Jackie Ballantyne has been employed at the retail giant's branch in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, since its opening 18 years ago. Currently, she is actively involved in the GMB union's campaign advocating for shop floor staff, who are predominantly female, to receive the same wages as their colleagues in depots, who are largely male.
Jackie, 45, expressed her satisfaction with a recent decision by judges at a Manchester Employment Tribunal who ruled that most shop workers perform jobs of 'equal value to higher-paid positions' within Asda's warehouses. This ruling has brought the campaign one step closer to potentially securing pay outs. 'It's taken a long time to get this far,' she told the Record. 'Instead of spending more money on lawyers' fees, this could have been settled before now.'Jackie asserted the unfairness of depot workers earning more than those working on the shop floor at Asda's supermarkets across the UK. 'They work in the depot, but it's us who have to unload everything, as well as deal with members of the public,' she explained. 'Stock is dropped off at the store and colleagues have to then break that down, work the pallets, and get the stock on the shop floor.' Jackie added: 'If Asda settled the claim, we would be happy. In this day and age, we shouldn't have to be fighting for equal pay. 'In the past few years, they had Michael Buble on a Christmas advert. They spent millions on that. They'll spend money on lawyers, but not pay the workers.' Over 60,000 workers united to accuse the company of sex discrimination after it was revealed that warehouse workers were earning up to £3.74 more per hour. This result marks a second victory for the workers, who were successful in the initial case. Asda vehemently denies that its pay rates are discriminatory. The supermarket stated that the equal value findings presented a 'mixed picture'. The case will now proceed to the Material Factor Defence stage, which will determine if there are justifiable reasons for the pay differences, such as geography or market forces - Asda strongly believes there are. An Asda spokesperson said: “We strongly reject any claim that Asda’s pay rates are discriminatory. 'Asda will continue to defend these claims at the next stage of the litigation because retail and distribution are two different industry sectors that have their own market rates and distinct pay structures.
ASDA Equal Pay Shop Floor Workers Warehouse Workers GMB Union Sex Discrimination Employment Tribunal
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