The Living Wage Foundation is delighted that Lidl have become the first supermarket to pay the Living Wage. This is a historic breakthrough for the Living Wage movement in retail.
Rhys Moore, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
We are delighted by the move from Lidl to increase the pay of their staff to rates above the current UK and London voluntary Living Wage rates, and significantly higher than the national minimum wages. They have also committed to matching the new Living Wage rates announced by the Living Wage Foundation in November. Their announcement is a massive breakthrough in the Living Wage campaign, and proves that paying staff a real Living Wage, calculated around the cost of living, is possible on the British high-street. It sets a challenge to the rest of the UK supermarket sector, that has until now claimed that paying staff the Living Wage was just not possible. Consumers can now genuinely make a Living Wage choice at the checkout. We look forward to working with Lidl towards accreditation with the Living Wage Foundation, and together championing fair pay in the retail sector.