A long-serving Asda employee, Jackie Ballantyne, is leading the charge for equal pay with her male colleagues working in Asda's distribution centers. A recent ruling by a Manchester Employment Tribunal found that shop workers perform jobs of 'equal value' to higher-paid warehouse positions, bringing the campaign one step closer to potential payouts. Ballantyne argues that it's unfair for depot workers to earn more while shop floor staff handle unloading, customer service, and stock preparation.
A longtime Asda employee is advocating for equal pay with her male counterparts working 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. She is now actively involved in the GMB union's campaign for shop floor staff , who are predominantly female, to receive the same pay as their colleagues in depots, which are largely male-dominated.
Jackie, 45, expressed her satisfaction with the recent decision by judges at a Manchester Employment Tribunal who ruled that most shop workers perform jobs of 'equal value to higher-paid positions' held by Asda warehouse employees. This ruling brings the campaign one step closer to achieving potential payouts. '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 believes it is unfair that depot workers can earn more than those working on the shop floor at Asda 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 added. '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.' Additionally, Jackie stated: '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.' This case reflects a larger issue of alleged sex discrimination within the retail industry. Over 60,000 workers have united to accuse the company of paying warehouse workers up to £3.74 more per hour. This recent ruling marks a significant victory for the workers, who are determined to achieve pay equity. Asda has vehemently denied any claims of discriminatory pay practices. The supermarket maintains that the equal value findings represent a 'mixed picture'. The case will now proceed to the Material Factor Defence stage, where the court will determine if there are justifiable reasons for the pay differences, such as geographical location or market forces. Asda strongly asserts that such justifications exist. An Asda spokesperson stated: “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.”
EQUAL PAY ASDA WAREHOUSE WORKERS SHOP FLOOR STAFF SEX DISCRIMINATION GMB UNION
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Asda Shop Floor Worker Demands Equal Pay With Warehouse ColleaguesA 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.
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