The floor personnel, which consists primarily of female sales consultants, should not be paid less than the warehouse staff, who are primarily male, according to an employment tribunal.
The outcome of a legal struggle spanning over six years, 3,540 claimants who were employed by the high street behemoth were involved.
To refute the assertion It was then required to demonstrate that there was a salary disparity resulting from a “material factor” unconnected to sex discrimination, but it was unable to do so.
According to the corporation, there was a wage gap between the roles since a warehouse operator’s going “market rate” was higher than a sales consultant’s. It stated that this has to be followed to guarantee the business’s survival.
It was the first successful equal pay claim of its kind against a national retailer, according to the workers’ legal representation company, Leigh Day.
One of the three primary plaintiffs, Helen Scarsbrook, who spent more than 20 years working at Next, described customer service as “demanding” and frequently “undervalued”.
“Anyone who works in retail knows that it is a physically and emotionally tough job,” she stated.
