Retailer Lincolnshire Co-op has awarded its employees a 5.8% pay increase and held an awards event to recognise individual staff and teams.
The deal, which was recommended for approval by the union Usdaw, covers more than 95% of Lincolnshire Co-op’s 2,800 employees, who are part of the retail and specialist agreements. These include frontline staff in the areas of food, pharmacy, travel, post office and funeral, as well as those who work in support services.
They will receive a minimum of £12.36 per hour, while every employee covered by the agreements will get at least a 77p per hour increase. The increase will be paid this month and backdated to 1 April.
The new rate means Lincolnshire Co-op continues to pay all employees at least 15p per hour above the national living wage, including apprentices or those aged under 21 who can legally be paid a different rate. This is part of an extra £3.3 million investment into staff pay.
In addition, several employees and teams from across Lincolnshire Co-op were honoured at its Spotlight Awards event. Held at The Drill in Lincoln, the event saw recognition awards for Branches of the year, as well as Team of the year, Overall colleague of the year, and Helpful, trustworthy and inspiring colleagues of the year.
Alison Hands, chief executive officer at Lincolnshire Co-op, said: “We want to support our employees during this challenging time, where people’s household budgets are under pressure. It is a large investment into staff pay. Combined with other external pressures such as inflation and significant increased costs, it means we do need to think broadly about our total cost base, making sure we are investing wisely where we will see a return. Growth will enable us to continue to provide our valued services and give back to our community.
“Our Spotlight Awards were a fantastic opportunity to celebrate employees who have gone above and beyond. A massive congratulations to our wonderful winners and thank you for your commitment to our shared purpose, which is to make life better in our communities.”
