Sainsbury’s has announced it is increasing its basic hourly rate of pay for all Sainsbury’s employees from £9.50 to £10 an hour.
Employees in inner London will see a pay rise from £10.10 to £11.05 and for staff, outer London will see an increase from £9.75 to £10.50.
The pay increases will come into effect from 6 March 2022 with the first pay day being 8 April. According to the Big 4 grocer, the pay rise is in recognition of the “extraordinary work” its staff does for customers.
Sainsbury’s also announced it is increasing additional payment rates for drivers. Groceries online drivers will now get £11.50 per hour, with a basic rate of £10 per hour plus an extra £1.50 per hour.
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“To kick off the New Year, I am pleased that one of the first things we are doing is investing in our colleagues and lifting our basic hourly rate of pay to £10,” Sainsbury’s chief executive officer Simon Roberts 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.”
He added: “We have also listened to our colleagues and are enhancing our colleague discount scheme to help them plan their grocery spend and manage their shopping budgets better, which could save colleagues hundreds of pounds a year.”
The new rates of pay exceed the National Living Wage and the National Real Living Wage and represent a £100 million investment from Sainsbury’s in its store colleagues.
This year’s 5.3% increase means that Sainsbury’s hourly colleague pay has increased by 25% over the past five years.
Simon Clarke, MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury added: “The government is on the side of working people – which is why we’re increasing the National Living Wage in April, giving a full-time worker an extra £1,000 a year.
“Our Plan for Jobs will continue to ensure hard work pays and I fully welcome Sainsbury’s decision to invest in its staff and give them a well-deserved pay boost.”
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