Story perspectives

Employment Tribunal Upholds Next’s Higher Warehouse Basic Wages

9/8/2026

Summary

Story summary

Next won an appeal allowing it to maintain higher basic wages for warehouse staff than shop staff.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal overturned a 2024 ruling that had required equal basic pay for the two groups.
The tribunal found the pay differences were not direct sex discrimination.
More than 3,500 current and former employees, mainly women, had been set to receive over £30 million in back pay.

History

Historical Context

The United Kingdom’s Equal Pay Act of 1970, passed by Parliament, outlawed wage differentials between men and women performing equal work. Barbara Castle, then Secretary of State for Employment, oversaw the first national audit, which uncovered a 20 % average gender pay gap across retailers like Marks & Spencer. Today, the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s 2024 reversal of an equal-pay ruling for Next plc mirrors the Act’s legacy, permitting wages for warehouse versus shop staff. Consequently, over 3,500 predominantly female employees stand to receive more than £30 million in arrears, highlighting enduring challenges in enforcing equal-pay principles.

1 of 2

Story summary

Next won an appeal allowing it to maintain higher basic wages for warehouse staff than shop staff.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal overturned a 2024 ruling that had required equal basic pay for the two groups.
The tribunal found the pay differences were not direct sex discrimination.
More than 3,500 current and former employees, mainly women, had been set to receive over £30 million in back pay.

1 / 2