Supermarket chain makes announcement and pledges ‘a significant investment in our promise’
Aldi has announced it will be giving its workforce a pay boost in under two months’ time, getting ahead of the national minimum wage hike due in April.
From 1 March, hourly rates for store assistants at the budget supermarket will climb by 33p, moving from £13.02 to £13.35.
This decision arrives in advance of the national minimum wage jumping by 50p, from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour for qualifying workers aged 21 and above, meaning thousands of Aldi employees will pocket an extra 64p per hour.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, remarked: “Our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do.
“Their hard work and dedication is what allows us to offer customers the quality, value and service they expect from Aldi.
“That’s why we’re making such a significant investment in our promise to never be beaten on pay for our colleagues.”
The nation’s fourth-biggest supermarket chain, which recorded a whopping £1.65 billion in festive sales, revealed it is pumping £36 million into staff pay and benefits.
Amongst the enhancements is an extension of maternity pay to 26 weeks on full pay, whilst store apprentices will see their hourly earnings rise to £12.02.
The discount grocer, which has more than 45,000 employees across roughly 1,060 outlets nationwide, handed out a similar 31p hourly pay increase to staff last year.
Meanwhile, Aldi workers in the capital will fare slightly better, with those at stores inside the M25 seeing their wages increase by 36p, from £14.35 to £14.71 per hour. Depending on their length of service, store assistants could see a pay rise to £14.30 nationally, and £15.03 in the London area.
The German multinational supermarket is unique in the UK for offering paid breaks to all its in-store staff, a perk it claims is worth up to £1,470 annually.
The company has also been pumping money into speeding up its expansion across the UK, with plans to open 80 new stores over the next two years.
