There was good news and bad news yesterday (7 Feb) for disputes shop Leigh Day, first announcing an ambitious equal pay claim against Tesco, that could see the supermarket giant pay out £4bn in compensation to its workers. But the firm was later brought back down to earth by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which revealed it would formally appeal a decision that acquitted three of Leigh Day’s lawyers of misconduct.
The Tesco pay controversy relates to an alleged discrepancy in hourly rates between the retailer’s male and female staff. Leigh Day argues that in the company’s predominantly male-dominated distribution centres, staff can earn in excess of £11 an hour, while workers in more female-dominated Tesco stores are paid around £8 an hour.
