The quirky fashion and lifestyle retailer, Oliver Bonas, became the first high street chain to pay the independent living wage at the end of the summer to its 500 staff across its 43 shops and warehouse. It has now been joined by Lidl, the low cost supermarket chain which employs 17,000 staff after it implemented an average pay rise of 14% to take effect from October 2015.
The independent living wage of at least £7.85 per hour (or £9.15 in London) for workers over 18 years of age is considerably higher than the Government’s National Living Wage (to be implemented from April 2016, and only covers those over 25 years of age c.f. article No. 9180 and which ends up being just a higher minimum wage). Welcoming the Oliver Bonas move, Rhys Moore, director of the Living Wage said it was a ‘significant milestone’ that would help ‘end the low wage culture of the British high street’ because the huge retail sector contains the majority of low paid jobs.
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