DECEMBER 2018

Sam Walker wins equal
pay claim against Group
at industrial tribunal
The former Co-op Group HR director Sam
Walker has won her industrial tribunal
case against the society, on equal pay and
unfair dismissal.
She took the Group to the tribunal
claiming she had been dismissed after
raising issues about her own pay and
warning leading figures in the company
of a pay gap between men and women
performing the same roles.
The tribunal did not agree with Ms
Walker’s claim that her sacking was a
result of discrimination, but ruled that
the Group had “directly discriminated
against the claimant on the grounds of
sex”, because it graded her work as only
“partially achieved” without giving her an
adequate year-end appraisal.
Ms Walker said: “This is a major victory
for women. My case proves that pay
discrimination can happen to anyone.
I was in a senior position doing a job of
equal value to my male senior colleagues,
but was paid significantly less. This is
happening all over this country.”
She said she would now join forces on
a new initiative with Carrie Gracie – the
BBC journalist who resigned in protest
over the gender pay gap – gender equality
campaign group the Fawcett Society and
Yess Law, a group of lawyers dedicated
to resolving workplace disputes without
litigation. The scheme will help women
p Sam Walker said she would work to help other women who had suffered discrimination
earning £30,000 a year or less who are
experiencing pay discrimination.
“Justice is ... beyond the reach of most
women who simply would not have the
resources to bring a claim of this kind,”
said Ms Walker. “The law needs to change.
“The Women and Equalities Select
Committee is looking at this, but we need
societal change – why would people want
to work for companies who treat their
employees differently?”
She added: “I want to thank my network
of colleagues, family and friends who
have supported me – and that includes
many still employed by the Co-op (you
know who you are).
“I hope the Co-op responds to this
ruling in a way that reflects its stated
values, holds those accountable to
account and listens to their other female
employees who I hope will now feel able
to step forward and demand equal pay.”
A spokesman for the Group said: “The
tribunal dismissed most of Ms Walker’s
claims and held that Ms Walker’s
dismissal was not discriminatory. We are
pleased that the tribunal accepted our
evidence in relation to these claims.
“While the tribunal upheld the unfair
dismissal claim on procedural grounds,
we are pleased it found the Co-op
had substantial reasons justifying the
termination of Ms Walker’s employment.
“The tribunal upheld the claim for
equal pay. We are reviewing the tribunal’s
judgement and considering whether to
appeal. We maintain we did not pay Ms
Walker unfairly and continue to believe
we acted in the best interests of our Co-op
and its members.”
Group brings in JDA Software to revamp its supply chain process
The Co-op Group has announced a
project with supply chain specialist
JDA Software to revitalise its category
management processes.
The first phase of a multi-year plan
which will see the retailer “getting closer
to the needs of members and customers”,
it will upgrade Group stores to the latest
version of JDA Space Planning, Floor
Planning and Category Knowledge Base.
JDA says this will create “an end-to-end
streamlined approach to managing its
retail stores from floor to shelf”.
Michael Fletcher, retail chief
commercial officer at the Group, said:
“Our powerful JDA Category Management
solution footprint enables us to anticipate
shopper demands with agility and speed.
We look forward to continuing to build on
this robust foundation as we continue to
deliver our strategy.”
The Group worked with a collaborative
team from JDA, and partners Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS) and Deloitte,
for the first step of the project.
JDA says it will allow the Group
to automate its planograms – visual
representations of a store’s products or
services on display – to localise its offer.
The retailer will also be able to work with
its teams and suppliers to ensure they are
delivering accurate and early stocking
information for each store. There will be
more insight into shopper behaviour at
macro and local level, allowing the Group
to better plan its store layouts, tailored
from store to store.
“Maintaining a competitive edge
and anticipating shopper demands is
more important than ever,” said Johan
Reventberg from JDA. “We’re pleased
to enable such a critical piece of the
Co-op’s retail business transformation
by underpinning it with our best-in-class
category management solutions that will
give them the right balance of right item,
right store, right time, with the efficiency
and agility they need.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 7