More than 17,000 Lidl employees get a pay rise in the new year following an increase to the UK Living Wage, the discounter has announced.
It is the fourth year that Lidl has increased the pay of its hourly paid employees to keep wages in line with the rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, a campaigning group that encourages companies to payan independently-calculated recommended minimum to cover workers’ basic needs.
Along with around 4,700 other companies that adopt the voluntary measure, the supermarket chain will be increasing entry-level pay from £8.75 to £9 per hour outside of London and from £10.20 to £10.55 within the M25, with the higher rates driven largely by rising private rents, transport costs and council tax.
The latest rise at Lidl, which follows the Living Wage Foundation’s announcement of new rates today (5 November), equates to an increase of almost 25 per cent outside of London, and 30 per cent within the M25, since 2015.
The move, which will come into effect from 1 March 2019, will see employees receive pay that is almost 10 per cent higher than the government’s ‘National Living Wage’ announced in the latest Budget.
Christian Härtnagel, cheife executive of Lidl UK, said: “Our employees are amongst the most talented and hard working in the industry, and we are committed to supporting them both inside and outside of the workplace.
“With our newest warehouse opening this week in Avonmouth, and a further five set to open in the coming years, along with our pipeline of new stores, we look forward to welcoming more people into the Lidl team.”
In 2017, Lidl welcomed 2,500 new employees to its workforce due to store and warehouse openings. The supermarket chain is set to open more than 50 new stores in the coming year, along with five new regional distribution centres by 2025.
Currently, the retailer is actively recruiting for hundreds of store and warehouse roles across the country, with vacancies advertised on itscareers site.
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