Thousands of Marks and Spencer (M&S) shop floor staff will see their base pay increase to at least £10 an hour in April, as part of a new reward package announced by the retailer.
Some 40,000 employees will benefit from a pay rise, with the hourly rate increasing from £9.50 to £10 across the UK, and from £10.75 to £11.25 in London.
The new hourly pay rates are in excess of the national living wage, which from 1 April 2022 will rise from £8.91 to £9.50 for those aged 23 and older, and the “real” Living Wage, which is recommended by the Living Wage Foundation and is currently £9.90 across the UK and £11.05 in London.
The pay increase forms part of a wider reward package announced by the retailer today. It has also introduced a series of wellbeing benefits, including access to a virtual GP service, health check screening and advice on financial management.
M&S said staff consistently identify base pay and health and wellbeing benefits as among their priorities.
Steve Rowe, CEO at M&S said: “M&S is always at its best when we’ve put our people at the heart of it. The contribution our teams have made to support our customers and each other every day through some really challenging times has been remarkable.
“By once again increasing our investment into one of the best all round reward offers for store colleagues across retail, we’re making sure that every colleague whatever they do and wherever they work, is properly rewarded and supported at M&S.”
