GMB union says the mostly female shop staff are on ‘cusp of justice’ with claim that could cost supermarket £1.2bn

Thousands of Asda workers have won the latest stage in a decade-long equal pay case against the supermarket that could lead to a payout worth £1.2bn.

The GMB union said the workers were on “the cusp of justice” after Manchester employment tribunal ruled that 12 out of 14 lead claimants in the case, which involves 60,000 mostly women working shop-based jobs, had roles that were of equal value to their mostly male counterparts employed in the retailer’s warehouses.