New York (AFP)

The world's No. 1 retailer Walmart has probably discriminated dozens of women in its US stores, has concluded a body responsible for enforcing labor law, and acknowledged Tuesday the sign.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe" that Walmart has paid less for equivalent responsibilities and functions than women, and has denied them promotions because of their sex, according to the Wall Street Journal, the Commission for Equal Access to Employment (EEOC), a government organization responsible for enforcing labor law.

These discriminatory practices involve 178 women working in Walmart supermarkets in some 30 US states.

"The allegations of these complainants date back more than 15 years and are not representative of the positive experience of the millions of women who worked at Walmart", defended, in an email addressed to AFP, the group of the Arkansas (south).

He added that he would not comment on each individual case as required by the Commission's Equal Access to Employment procedure, based on "confidentiality".

Walmart states that the employees concerned seized the commission in 2012 and that since that date he asked him to deal quickly with these cases.

The labor inspectorate asked Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States with more than a million and a half employees, to find a "just solution" with the discriminated employees.

"We told the EEOC that we are ready to initiate conciliation" with all complainants, "said a Walmart spokesperson.

He regretted, however, that "in the vast majority of cases, the conclusions of the EEOC are vague and unclear even though we asked for more details".

Contacted by AFP, the commission did not respond immediately.

This is not the first time that Walmart has been accused of discriminating against women. In 2001, employees had filed a class action suit against the company in which they claimed to be less well paid than men in comparable positions, despite having a better rating and greater seniority. .

They also said they received fewer promotions than men and had to wait longer to get them.

After victories before trial and appeal judges, they had lost to the Supreme Court, seized by Walmart, who had estimated in 2011 that there was no concerted sex discrimination strategy at Walmart .

Despite this decision, nearly 2,000 women working for Walmart filed a complaint with the labor inspectorate for discrimination.

© 2019 AFP