Business

Higher rates announced for voluntary living wage

Welcoming the New Living Wage pay increase are the Lidl Connswater team - Ineta Zakauskiene, Kamil Kujek, Angela Connan, Simon Cummings and Thomas McEwen
Welcoming the New Living Wage pay increase are the Lidl Connswater team - Ineta Zakauskiene, Kamil Kujek, Angela Connan, Simon Cummings and Thomas McEwen Welcoming the New Living Wage pay increase are the Lidl Connswater team - Ineta Zakauskiene, Kamil Kujek, Angela Connan, Simon Cummings and Thomas McEwen

INCREASES in the so-called living wage have been announced, giving a pay rise to an estimated 180,000 workers in Britain and Northern Ireland.

The rate will rise by 35p an hour to £10.55 in London and by 25p to £9 outside the capital.

The Living Wage Foundation said the increases have been largely driven by higher transport costs, private rents and council tax.

The new rates are £2.72 higher than the statutory living wage for London workers and £1.17 higher in other parts of the UK.

The statutory rate will increase to £8.21 an hour next April for workers aged 25 and over.

More than 4,700 employers have signed up to pay the voluntary living wage to their staff, ranging from football clubs and banks to universities and retail firms.

Lidl Northern Ireland confirmed it will introduce the new rate, while will benefit 11 per cent of its employees across its 38 stores and distribution centre in Nutts Corner, and says it is the first local supermarket to match the Foundation’s new pay recommendation.

"This proactive step continues our exemplary track record as a pioneering, best-practice employer which, in 2015, saw Lidl become the first major retailer here to introduce the Living Wage for all employees," its regional director Conor Boyle said.

“Lidl was proud to champion the Living Wage in Northern Ireland. Our people are central to our success. They look after our customers, drive our operations and support our communities. It is important for us to reward them, not just with market-leading rates but also by creating an environment where their holistic needs and well-being are prioritised."

He added: “We are the first supermarket in Northern Ireland to commit to this increase and are delighted to complement and boost the already powerful and wide-ranging benefits package we have put in place for our outstanding local team.

“By continually investing in our team, we continue to retain and attract the best employees and, in turn, continue to serve our customers in the best way possible. This approach is pivotal to our success and our position as Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing supermarket.”

Living Wage Foundation director Tess Lanning said: "Responsible businesses know that the Government minimum is not enough to live on, and today's new living wage rates will provide a boost for thousands of workers throughout the UK.

"Employers that pay the real living wage enable their workers to live a life of dignity, supporting them to pay off debts and meet the pressures of rising bills.

"We want to see local councils, universities, football clubs, bus companies and the other major public and private sector employers in every city commit to become real living wage employers.

"When they do, thousands of people get a pay rise, but other local employers also follow their lead."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he will be writing to major sporting and cultural institutions in the capital, urging them to pay the living wage.

He announced that the London Stadium was the latest to become a living wage employer.

He said: "I am determined to make London a fairer and more equal city, so I'm proud to say that the London Stadium has joined businesses across the capital in becoming a living wage employer.

"Now I'm calling on all of our city's employers - in the public and private sectors - to do the same and to start paying their workforce the London living wage."