Retail giant Sainsbury's is facing another £400,000 bill as a row over equal pay continues to escalate in court.
More than 3,000 current and former employees claim they were underpaid by the supermarket compared to their distribution centre colleagues who 'did the same job but earned a higher rate'.
The grocer disputed the claims last year, alleging that staff had provided incorrect job titles when submitting their claims to the Employment Tribunal, thus making their claims invalid.
However, judges this week said the grocer acted 'unreasonably' in its attempt to quash the case.
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Leigh Day, which is representing employees, said the supermarket now faces a £432,000 bill, covering the hearing on top of thousands claims if judges rule in employees' favour.
The Employment Tribunal said that the chain's arguments that jobs titles were incorrect were "very weak" and that their approach had "no proper factual basis".
The matter will now be referred to the county court for detailed assessment by a costs judge who will decide how much Sainsbury's needs to pay in legal costs.
What is the equal pay row all about?
More than 3,000 Sainsbury's store workers are involved in the Equal Pay Now Campaign, claiming that the value of their work in terms of difficulty, skill and demand is equal to that of their colleagues in distribution and so they should be paid the same.
The difference in hourly pay for a Sainsbury's shop worker and those in a distribution centre can range from £1.50 to £4 an hour, which could mean a disparity worth thousands of pounds.
Leigh Day believes the average worker could be entitled to in excess of £10,000 for up to six years back pay. Some may be entitled to more than £20,000.
Linda Wong, a partner in the employment team at Leigh Day, said: "Sainsbury's continues to drag its heels, blocking its shop floor staff from being paid what they are worth at every opportunity possible.
"Hopefully, this decision acts as a clear sign to Sainsbury's that they cannot push their weight around.
"As a result of the pandemic supermarket workers have finally been recognised as frontline workers and it's time for their value to be reflected in their pay."
A Sainsbury's spokesperson told The Mirror: "At Sainsbury's, we pay our colleagues according to their role, not their gender. Men and women in our stores are paid an equal hourly rate. Men and women in our depots are also paid equally. To suggest otherwise is wrong.
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"The roles in our stores and depots are fundamentally different and cannot be compared. We will robustly defend our position."
Tesco, the Co-op and Morrisons employees have also launched equal pay claims in recent years over allegations that shop floor staff are underpaid.
On Friday, grocer Asda will face the Supreme Court.
The hearing will consider whether the roles of store workers can be compared to distribution centre roles for the purposes of an equal pay claim.
