Sainsbury’s is set to become the latest supermarket in the UK to pay its store workers at least £10 an hour.
From the beginning of March, staff in Sainsbury’s and Argos stores will see their hourly rate increase from £9.50 to £10. This will increase from £10.10 to £11.05 for those working in inner London and from £9.75 to £10.50 in outer London.
Amid high demand in the online channel and tough competition for drivers, the group’s grocery delivery drivers will see their pay rise to £11.50 an hour, including a 75p premium on top of a 75p booster already being paid. Argos drivers will receive an extra 25p an hour on top of basic pay in addition to a 75p existing supplement, taking their total to £11 an hour.
Sainsbury’s stated that the new pay rates represent a £100m investment in its staff and this year’s 5.3% increase means the supermarket’s hourly pay has grown by 25% over the past five years.
Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi announced similar moves last year amid pressure for firms to improve pay in an inflationary environment.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “We are making this significant investment to show our colleagues how much we value the brilliant job they do for our customers every day. It also reflects the significant progress we are making against our plan and to save money we can invest in lower prices, offer fantastic colleague service and make shopping convenient for customers.”
