Tesco faces £4billion gender pay challenge

Supermarket giant Tesco is facing a possible £4 billion bill in Britain’s biggest ever equal pay claim.

Women working in the stores could receive back pay totalling £20,000 if the legal challenge demanding parity with men who work in the company's warehouses is successful.

Paula Lee, of Leigh Day solicitors told the BBC it was time for Tesco to tackle the problem of equal pay for work of equal worth. "We believe an inherent bias has allowed store workers to be underpaid over many years," she said. "In terms of equal worth to the company there really should be no argument that workers in stores, compared to those working in the depots, contribute at least equal value to the vast profits made by Tesco.

Currently, the most common rate for women is £8 an hour, but for men the hourly rate can be as high as £11 an hour.