Sainsbury’s has unveiled additional support for its store workers amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The announcement means 127,000 hourly paid store staff will see the minimum rate boosted to £11 per hour from February this year and £11.95 in London.
The retailer is also providing access to staple food items during shifts, along with increased in-store discounts.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “As well as doing all we can to keep prices low for customers, it’s our job to support our colleagues as they face rising costs. That’s why we are bringing forward the increase and committing a total of £205m to increase pay to at least £11 per hour this year. We know that colleagues really appreciate having something to eat at work too, so we have also extended the provision of free food during shifts for an extra six months, as well as increasing colleague discount at Argos.
“This is a massive investment that reflects the real challenges our people are facing right now. I’m really pleased that the progress we are making against our strategy means that we can continue to prioritise investing in colleagues to reward them for the fantastic service they deliver every day.”
Dave Gill, Usdaw National Officer, added: “These unprecedented additional pay awards, along with free food and additional discount will be appreciated by our members.
“The scale of the financial challenges facing all workers is immense and there still needs to be significant interventions from government. Even under their plan, energy prices will have still doubled in six months and look set to go higher. Along with other prices sky-rocketing the cost of living is simply unaffordable for far too many workers.”
