Tesco’s ￡4bn equal pay headache, a new crackdown on rogue employers, and more trending news

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Tesco is facing an equal pay claim that could cost it ￡4bn. The supermarket giant is the target of a legal challenge over paying employees in its predominantly male-dominated distribution centres considerably more than staff who work in its stores – most of whom are female. Law firm Leigh Day said the disparity could see a full-time distribution worker being paid ￡5,000 a year more than a member of store staff. Leigh Day said this underpayment could apply to more than 200,000 Tesco employees and that the case could become Britain’s largest ever equal pay claim.

The government is cracking down on companies that mistreat staff and breach contracts. As a response to last year's Taylor Review into working practices, the government has promised stricter enforcement of rights to holiday and sick pay, plus higher fines for companies not abiding by the rules. Unions and workers have criticised the government for not going far enough – they were hoping for new employment laws to protect gig-economy workers, such as Deliveroo riders, who are not currently entitled to sick or holiday pay as they’re technically classed as self-employed.

UK economic growth is set to rebound this year, according to The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The leading economic forecaster said GDP growth should increase by 1.9% this year and in 2019 thanks to the strength of the world economy and British exporters benefitting from the weak pound. NIESR also said the “success” of phase one of Brexit talks was “very encouraging” and contributed to the upwards revision of the forecast.

House prices fell again in January, for the second month in a row. Values fell 0.6% last month, following a drop of the same amount in December, according to Halifax. Last month’s dip brought the average price to ￡223,285 and came as a surprise to analysts, who had expected an increase. Halifax highlighted that the market is currently experiencing a lack of supply, but this shortage of fresh listings should prop up prices reducing the likelihood of a broader property market fall.

The European Union is investigating Apple's acquisition of song-recognition app Shazam. Regulators in Brussels, who took over the probe from Austrian authorities, are concerned that the deal breaks antitrust rules. This isn't the first time Apple finds itself in hot water with the EU: In 2016, the bloc ordered Apple to pay Ireland €13bn (￡11.5bn) in allegedly unpaid taxes. Both parties are appealing the ruling. The EU has been cracking down on American tech giants, most recently fining chip maker Qualcomm for paying Apple billions of dollars to solely use its chips for its iPhones and iPads. ? Share your thoughts: #AppleEUProbe

Idea of the Day: When you’re part of a remote team, instant messaging is a great way to communicate – if used the right way. “Like any tool, the benefit can go wayside when not used correctly. This is why we make sure to share our instant message best practices,” writes Nicole Wosje, who leads operations and people success at Aha!

“Instead of writing ‘hey’ and waiting for a reply, send a quick summary of what you need and any brief background info.”

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