The most recent Equality Act was enforced in 2010, replacing previous legislation including the Equal Pay Act 1970. The Equality Act 2010 covers the equality of terms provisions to ensure that all men and women should receive equal pay when in similar roles.

Currently, there are issues for employees when comparing salary pay, as in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, employees are prohibited from discussing differences in pay with each other.

However, employees can compare their contract of employment with a comparator, which means an employee of the opposite sex with a similar role and equivalent terms. The equivalent terms can include the following:

Morrisons has become the latest supermarket chain to come under fire regarding equal pay, which could result in the well-established company facing up to £1 billion worth of fines.

The London-based law firm, Leigh Day announced their intentions to submit a claim with the employment tribunal for eight of Morrison’s employees - mainly female - who are under the impression that they are being paid far less than employees located in Morrison’s warehouses, who are mostly male.

The law firm confirmed that their estimates of £1 billion stem from the additional employees who may potentially make a claim. As Morrisons currently has around 80,000 staff working in stores, who may have experience equal pay discrimination and will want to bring a claim against the retailer.