http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29753702

Seems as if ASDA are being targeted by certain sections of society to give equal pay for what some think are equal jobs.

Just perhaps if you want more pay apply for one of those jobs, that pay more, and see if its the same sort of work youre doing now for less pay.

EVERY LITTLE HELPS.

Maybe they have applied but aren’t getting the jobs because of old fashioned sexist attitudes, and maybe the jobs are equivalent and asda and their ilk need the law to drag them into the 21st century.

or maybe that the jobs are different but people think that they are the same. I guess time will tell.

I can’t imagine that this is not the sort of conversation that goes on all over the range low-paid employees, particularly where physical strength and resilience is seen as a factor. I have in mind an ‘industrial’ bakery i worked at in the 90’s where men and women worked in different parts of the production chain but paid based on technical complexity or supervising others as opposed to how hot or heavy your work was.

I expect there is something in it for this to have got so far in such a notoriously anti-union employer. Also iirc my sister in law was paid very well in the warehouse side when she worked for them, stacking, sorting, order picking whatever you call kt but hardly in a position of seniority or responsibility: perhaps my s-i-l was not a unique example, and maybe there are already other women doing these jobs and managing fine and getting paid more.

Btw, ‘every little helps’ is the strapline of tesco, non? But that patting your jeans pocket thingy probably sounds less sardonic given the story. OP should be taking comfort in the idea that minimum wage earners in asda are a not inconsiderable part of the welfare bill in the uk via tax credits and so on, so the more they get paid the less his taxes supplement their wages (and asda’s profits for that matter).

Had same in nhs few years ago, all my fellow nurses felt we were underpayed so a nice helpful law firm jumped in. Not sure if any of them got much but lead solicitor got nice new ferrari. Don’t know about other areas of work but when I applied the salary was advertised.
nhs did play dirty though interviewing everyone and threatening they would all have to reapply for own jobs.

I think the argument is that the two types of jobs have merged in terms of their requirement but the rates of pay haven’t. Warehouse work was remunerated on the basis that is was typically shift based and unsociable as well as being quite physical. The argument being made is that with supermarket opening longer hours and even going 24hrs the shop-floor work is just as shift-based and just as unsociable, making the work comparable.

The solution for ASDA is really quite simple – subcontract out the work at the distribution warehouses. Subcontracting is how many employers get round the law. Plus if the work is put out to tender with over 2 million unemployed the companies bidding for work should be able to force down warehouse staff wages. Resulting in lower wages, and more profits for everyone concerned.

Tony Blair was immensely proud of the fact that employment legislation in the UK is stacked in the employer’s favour when he announced “The changes that we do propose would leave British law the most restrictive on trade unions in the Western World”.

With no effective trade union representation for their workers, and plenty of loopholes in the law, ASDA shouldn’t have any problems keeping shop floor staff wages low.

I saw this on the news yesterday. It strikes me that here’s a young (female) solicitor trying to make a name for herself by taking on one of the big guys. No doubt win or lose her pay will be increased to match that of her male colleagues.

Lots of jobs could be seen as equal, eg office jobs, sitting at a desk sifting pieces of paper, train and bus.coach/lgv driving, all 3 drive, andd many more, all paid differnt rates for doing a similar job.

Always complicated this, and never easy to compare different jobs in an organisation – ask anyone who has been downgraded in the civil service after a JEGS exercise.

I’m a little suspicious on the Asda story – not all the store staff are female and not all the distribution staff are male, so not as clear cut as previous cases where sexism has been argued. The cynic in me suspects that a clever lawyer has sniffed an opportunity to get some fees.

Though I have to say “Made in Dagenham” was an eye-opening film given that the events happened in my lifetime.

Yeah **** women…KNOW YOUR PLACE…. got to love maletracworld

I’m a little suspicious on the Asda story – not all the store staff are female…….

The linked article makes precisely that point :

The majority of those affected are women but interestingly, there are also some male employees working in the stores who are taking part in the process. They would also see a pay rise if the action taken on behalf of women under equal pay legislation is successful.

The cynic in me suspects that a clever lawyer has sniffed an opportunity to get some fees.

The legal firm are fighting this on a no-win no-fee basis, if they lose they get nothing, if they win they get their fees and some of their clients get up to 6 years back-pay, as well as a wage rise on all their future earnings.