More than 3,500 current and former employees of British retailer Next have triumphed in a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a recent Employment Tribunal decision has revealed. The tribunal found that Next failed to demonstrate that the lower wages paid to its predominantly female sales consultants, compared to its warehouse workers, were not discriminatory. The ruling, which covers potential back pay totaling over £30 million ($39.6 million), marks a significant victory for the claimants, who are now entitled to compensation for up to six years of underpayment.
Leigh Day, the law firm representing the workers, described the decision as a major boost for similar cases involving around 112,000 staff across other major retailers such as Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury's. The tribunal in Leeds had previously determined that the work performed by female shop workers was equivalent in demand to that of male warehouse staff. Next has announced plans to appeal the decision, asserting that while some claims were upheld, others, including direct discrimination and bonus pay claims, were rejected.
