Aldi awards second pay rise in year for UK workers
Aldi UK says rate also covers pay for breaks in employees’ shifts, which are worth £830 per year for the average shop worker
Print26 July 2022
Aldi has increased pay for store employees in the UK for the second time in 12 months.
From September, the discounter will increase hourly pay by 40p to reach a minimum of £10.50 outside the M25 and £11.95 in London.
Aldi said its rate also covers pay for breaks in employees’ shifts, which are worth £830 per year for the average shop worker, according to the retailer.
The increase comes as employers in the UK face increased competition for staff against other high street, hospitality and travel businesses, at a time when labour supply has been restricted by Brexit worker limits.
The Guardian reports Tesco and the sandwich chain Pret a Manger have both increased workers’ pay twice in the past year. Meanwhile Asda increased its pay to £10.10 an hour in July, following criticism from unions that it was trailing behind rival retailers with the rate of £9.66 which it introduced in April.
With Aldi currently competing with Lidl to be the UK’s fastest growing grocery chain, securing new recruits will become even more important.
“Our new rates of pay maintain Aldi’s position as the UK’s highest paying supermarket,” said Giles Hurley, the chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland.
“This announcement recognises the amazing contribution our colleagues make in serving local communities across the country,” Hurley added. “Their outstanding efforts have ensured that our customers continue to have access to fresh affordable food, every single day.”
The new rates at Aldi, currently the UK’s fifth largest supermarket and poised to overtake Morrisons for the number four position, exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s current recommended real living wage of £9.90 an hour nationally and £11.05 inside the M25.
All the UK’s main supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Lidl now pay above the independently verified living wage. However, none are accredited to the scheme, under which they would have to ensure that all third-party contractors, such as security staff and cleaners, are also paid the living wage.
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