Retail giant loses pay battle
The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart has been told by a jury in Philadelphia that it owes 186,979 existing and past employees US$78 million (£41.9 million) in unpaid tea breaks.

The class-action lawsuit in Philadelphia was brought by two former Wal-Mart employees who convinced the jury that the supermarket giant forced workers to miss a total of 33 million rest breaks from 1998 to 2001 and work later hours without pay across the state of Pennsylvania.

The decision followed a similar ruling in California in December last year when Wal-Mart, the parent company of Asda, was ordered to pay US$172.3 million (£92.5 million) to workers for missed meal breaks.

Wal-Mart said it would appeal against the Pennsylvania ruling, arguing that workers at its stores in that state were owed no more than US$6.9 million (£3.7 million).

Under Wal-Mart's policy, 30-minute meal breaks are unpaid, but an employee should be paid for rest breaks. Those who work more than six hours are allowed two 15-minute breaks.

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