Sainsbury’s will invest £200m in raising employee pay by more than 9% to £12 an hour nationwide (from £11), and by more than 10% to £13.15 per hour for those in London (from £11.95).
The increase – which Sainsbury’s described as its “single biggest-ever investment into pay” – will come into effect in March and is in line with the unofficial UK living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation. It will outstrip the 10% increase in the national living wage set to come into effect from April, which will rise from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour for those aged 21 and above.
“Our colleagues do a brilliant job delivering for our customers every day and at the same time they are continuing to face the rising costs of living,” said Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts.
“So, in addition to investing to keep our prices low for customers, I’m delighted to confirm an industry-leading pay increase again this year for all our hourly paid colleagues. At Sainsbury’s we will be increasing pay by 9.1% to £12 per hour, taking our investment into colleague pay to more than £500m over three years.”
The increase would amount to an extra £1,910 a year for a full-time colleague, Roberts said. It comes alongside a wider expansion of benefits and perks for Sainsbury’s workers over the past year, including the introduction of a 20% discount on shopping during the Christmas week.
Bally Auluk, national officer for the union Usdaw said: “The continuing strong working relationship between Usdaw and Sainsbury’s has resulted in an inflation-busting pay award of over 9% despite inflation falling and following on from the significant pay increases over the previous couple of years.
“The current cost of living is still on the rise, which is why Usdaw are very pleased the business has taken this on board during our consultations and responded in such a positive manner, which includes continuing to offer free food and additional discount.”
The increase makes Sainsbury’s the second highest-paying UK supermarket based on current pay rates. Aldi will maintain its place as the highest-paying grocer when its latest pay rise – which was announced in December – comes into effect from 1 February.
The discounter will pay all store and warehouse workers at least £12 an hour – £13.55 if they work within the M25.
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Sainsbury’s entered 2024 on the back of its best Christmas results since the Covid-19 pandemic, following the launch of its Nectar Prices, and investment in lower prices in 2023. Sales grew by 9.3%, according to the latest data from Kantar.
The supermarket is due to release its third-quarter results, which includes the Christmas period, on 10 January.
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