In short:

Coles and Woolworths expect to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more to repay staff who were underpaid, after the Federal Court found they had failed to keep accurate employment records.

Legal experts say the ramifications could be wide-reaching and other Australian businesses should review their payroll systems.

What’s next?

A further hearing on the matter is listed for late October, which should determine the outcome for nearly 30,000 affected employees.