Great Britain: Morrisons is set to become the first UK supermarket to pay its employees at least £10 (€11.20) per hour

This new basic hourly rate of £10 per hour (€11.22 E) was negotiated as part of a wage agreement by the retail trade union, Usdaw, which is now asking its members to formally accept this landmark deal, and which if approved, will take effect from 05 April 2021. Morrisons said that 96,000 employees, currently being paid £9.20 pounds per hour (€10.32), should benefit from this increase that will raise their pay above the Living Wage level of £9.50 (€10.66). For Usdaw national officer, Joanne McGuinness, this is a “big step forward” that “shows that the company is prepared to invest in the staff to help grow the business.” David Potts, Morrisons chief executive, called it “a symbolic and important milestone that represents another step in rewarding the incredibly important work that our colleagues do up and down the country,” in a statement referring to supermarket employees being on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic. The result of the Usdaw members’ vote will be officially announced on 12 February, but observers have no doubts that the agreement will be approved and are already wondering whether the Morrisons move will encourage other supermarkets to follow suit and raise wages. At the end of November, the Lidl supermarket chain announced a 20 pence increase in its minimum wage to £9.50 (€10.66) per hour for 20,000 employees starting in March.