Supermarket chain Lidl has announced pay rises from March 2022, which will benefit more than 21,000 staff and 80% of its workforce.
Equating to a wage increase of more than 6% for some, minimum pay for employees across the UK is set to go up to £10.10 an hour from £9.50, with rates of £10.85 to £11.30 for those in London. In addition, some staff will earn up to £11.40 and £12.25, depending on the length of their service.
According to the supermarket, the plan recognises the hard work and dedication of frontline employees during the past 18 months of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, will cost £18 million and is part of its UK investment plan.
The UK's minimum wage for workers aged 23 and above will rise from £8.91 an hour to £9.50 from April 2022, while the real living wage went up from £9.50 to £9.90 an hour.
Christian Hartnagel, chief executive officer at Lidl GB, commented that frontline colleagues are the “backbone” of the business and are “integral” to future success.
“We have ambitious plans to grow our business across Great Britain, and to do that we need to ensure we attract and look after the best talent at every level of our business. This year we feel incredibly lucky to be in a position as a business to go even further by making this significant investment in our incredible workforce, which will make us the best paying supermarket in the UK,” he said.
Nan Gibson, chief HR officer, added that the company is “proud” to have consistently increased wages every year.
“There is no denying how hard our people work, more so than ever during recent times, and we’re delighted to be able to give our store and distribution centre colleagues the recognition they deserve and look forward to welcoming new colleagues to our teams in the months ahead,” she said.
