Lidl has become the first UK supermarket to pay its employees the “real living wage” of £8.45 per hour. The move will mean a pay rise for 5,500 of its staff, with the minimum rate increasing to £9.75 per hour from early next year.
Despite the announcement in the chancellor’s Autumn statement yesterday that the national living wage rate would increase to £7.50 per hour, many people have said that this is still not enough for people to afford a decent standard of living.
“To really help struggling households £8.50 an hour would be nearer the mark instead. I’d imagine public sector workers are likely to be peeved at this increase as the 4 per cent pay rise dwarfs the 1 per cent cap being forced upon them for the next few years,” said Hannah Maundrell from comparison site Money.co.uk
Nan Gibson, Lidl board director, said: “We recognise the contribution of each and every colleague within the business and we feel it’s important to celebrate our achievements together. “So it fills me with pride that our colleagues are among the best paid in the supermarket sector, and it’s absolutely deserved for the commitment and value they bring to the company every day.”
