Sainsbury's raises pay to £10 an hour

Sainsbury's is set to become the latest UK supermarket to pay shop workers at least £10 an hour.

It will increase its basic rate from £9.50 to £10 per hour for staff across its supermarkets and Argos stores from 6 March.

Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts said the pay boost reflects the progress it is making against its savings plan.

It follows the likes of Morrisons and Lidl who announced similar moves last year.

Sainsbury's will also increase its minimum rate from £9.75 to £10.50 for workers in outer London and from £10.10 to £11.05 in inner London.

The higher rates paid by Sainsbury's will apply to about 150,000 employees across the company - including shop workers and lorry drivers.

The supermarket chain said it was investing £100m in total in improving pay and rewards for its frontline staff.

Its chief executive Mr Roberts said on Friday: "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 will also bump up pay for HGV drivers amid an ongoing recruitment struggle which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.

Groceries delivery drivers will now get £11.50 per hour, while Argos Fast Track Delivery drivers will receive £11 per hour based on a base rate of £10 per hour plus an extra £1, up from 75p.

"While demand for online deliveries remains high, this enhanced pay will help the retailer recruit and retain the best talent," the company said in a statement.

While the Chief Secretary to the Treasury praised Sainsbury's decision to give staff a "well-deserved boost", the higher rate will still fall shy of the £10.10 per hour on offer at Lidl from this March.

In November, it set out new rates where more experienced workers will earn up to £11.40 an hour in a move it said would make it the UK's best-paying supermarket.

The latest available data suggests that Tesco and Aldi currently pay £9.55 an hour, while Waitrose and the Co-op pay £9.50 and Asda pays £9.18.