127,000 hourly paid store staff will see the minimum rate boosted to £11 per hour from February this year and £11.95 in London.
 
The company is also providing access to staple food items during shifts, along with increased discounts at Sainsbury’s and Argos. The free food will ensure that staff can have something to eat while they are at work and the longer and deeper discounts helps staff plan and manage their budgets.
 
Dave Gill - Usdaw National Officer says: “We continue to work closely with Sainsbury’s on pay and these successive substantial increases make a significant difference to our members. With the cost of living continually rising, we have kept open our dialogue with Sainsbury’s and we are pleased the business has responded so positively. These unprecedented additional pay awards, along with free food and additional discount will be appreciated by our members.
 
“The scale of the financial challenges facing all workers is immense and there still needs to be significant interventions from Government. Even under their plan, energy prices will have still doubled in six months and look set to go higher. Along with other prices sky-rocketing the cost of living is simply unaffordable for far too many workers.
 
“Usdaw is campaigning for urgent Government action on the cost of living crisis and we are calling for a National Minimum Wage rate of at least £12 per hour, as a step towards £15, for all workers regardless of age. Alongside this, we continue in talks with all the employers to secure urgent assistance to tackle the hardship that many of our members are facing.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion