Lidl staff

Source: Lidl

Lidl has become the latest supermarket to give hourly paid workers their second rise of the year, as wage inflation intensifies competition for labour.

From 1 October, entry-level hourly rates for Lidl store and warehouse staff will rise from £11.30 to £11.95 inside the M25 and from £10.10 to £10.90 across the rest of the country.

It’s set to see to Lidl topple Aldi as the highest-paying UK supermarket based on entry-level hourly rates for store workers. Aldi also pays shopworkers within the M25 £11.95 an hour but elsewhere in country its rate is lower than Lidl’s new one, at £10.50 an hour.

Aldi has also increased its minimum hourly rates twice so far this year, as have Sainsbury’s and M&S, with the latter announcing its latest rate yesterday.

However, along with Co-op, Aldi is one of only two major UK grocers to give paid breaks, which it says are worth more than £830 a year to the average store worker.

Lidl said that depending on length of service, staff would earn a higher hourly rate of £12, rising to £13 inside the M25.

It said 23,500 workers would benefit from what was a £39.5 million investment in raising hourly rates for the second time in 2022, equating to an increase of between 10-14.5% since this time last year

A night shift premium is also set to increase, from £2.00 to £3.00 an hour, while a freezer premium will rise from £1.00 to £1.50 an hour.

“We have introduced these rate increases to reflect the key role and tireless efforts of our incredible colleagues working in our 935 stores and 13 warehouses,” said Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell.

“The role that we as a discounter play in giving households access to good, affordable food cannot be underestimated, now more than ever. But the ongoing commitment and dedication of our colleagues in making it all possible for our customers cannot be underestimated either – our business simply would not run without them.”