Sainsbury’s pledges to give staff a pay rise and a third bonus since the pandemic started

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has announced that it will increase staff pay and offer bonuses to frontline workers. The changes will also impact Argos staff, which is owned by Sainsbury’s. The pa -rise will see both Sainsbury’s and Argos staff’s wages increase to £9.50 per hour, up from £9.00 and £9.30 respectively. The pay increases will take effect from next month, with staff working in central London stores seeing an increase to £10.10. Staff will also receive a bonus worth £530 for a full-time worker, or three per cent, which will be the third bonus given to staff since the pandemic began. ‘Outstanding commitment’ Sainsbury’s says that, after this latest bonus has been paid to staff, the firm will have given out more than £100 million in extra cash to workers since last March. Supermarkets are widely considered to have benefited from the Covid pandemic, as they have been able to remain open throughout the crisis, while most other stores have had to close down for extended periods. Clodagh Moriarty, retail and digital director at Sainsbury’s, said: “In the last 12 months our frontline colleagues have shown outstanding commitment to our customers. “In recognition of everything they have achieved, we are giving them a pay rise, plus an additional one-off payment.” Other supermarkets are also increasing their offer to staff Lidl, Aldi and Morrisons have all also announced pay rises and/or staff bonuses recently. Lidl announced a £200 bonus for 23,000 workers in the UK, while Aldi has committed to increasing wages to a minimum of £9.55 per hour. Workers at Morrisons will take home at least £10 per hour from April onwards, according to the supermarket.