
The wage increase will see Sainsbury’s provide its store employees with a standard rate of £7.36 per hour, which the supermarket was keen to highlight exceeds the government’s national living wage target of £7.20 for April 2016.
Interestingly the government’s £7.20 target is for over 25s, but the new Sainsbury’s hourly rate will be across the board and also apply to team members under 25s, though under 18s are to initially receive an introductory rate during the first six months of employment. The company has spent much of this year with a focus on digital innovations to lead future sales. In April it announced a plan to create almost 500 specialist technology roles and a London lab, which coincided with cutting other office based support jobs, followed by a profit fall in May.- Digital engagement firm backed by ex-Tesco boss Terry Leahy bags Sainsbury’s contract
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In addition to the pay increase, Sainsbury’s took the opportunity to highlight that it also pays colleagues for breaks – unlike its rival Tesco. It means that although Tesco offers an hourly rate of £7.39, full-time colleagues will earn more at Sainsbury’s with an average rate of £287.04 compared to £269.74 at Tesco.
Elsewhere, the firm touted its pension, life insurance, discount card and annual bonus, which resulted in 133,000 colleagues receiving £50m collectively, as other factors that make it a standout employer.Share this story