Marks and Spencers have announced plans to raise the basic rate of pay for its employees to £10 an hour from 1 April to help staff cope with the rising cost of living in the UK.
A pay increase of over 5%, the decision will affect the take-home pay of at least 40,000 M&S staff according to the retailer – putting staff on a par with competing UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
This rise in pay will take all M&S staff above the legal minimum wage, which is currently set at £8.91 an hour for staff over the age of 23 but will rise to £9.50 in April. Workers aged sixteen are currently only required by law to be paid £4.62 an hour.
The retail giant will also introduce free health checks for its employees. New benefits such as an online GP service, financial management advice and health check screening will also be included in new provisions for workers.
M&S bosses have topped the government’s pledged April pay rise for the UK’s lowest-paid workers by a significant increase with this new pledge.
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Image: M&S Facebook
The news comes as the cost of living is set to increase in April. National insurance will rise by 1.25% and electricity bills are set to soar by over 54% – an estimated yearly increase of £593 for 22 million people, according to Which?
Staff shortages in the labour market are also forcing up wages across the retail and hospitality sectors.
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Sainsbury’s increased worker’s minimum hourly pay to £10 in January, whilst Aldi has increased minimum rates to £10.57 an hour – giving its key workers a raise of over 11%.
Speaking on the planned increase in wages, Steve Rowe, the chief executive of M&S, said: “The contribution our teams have made to support our customers and each other every day through some really challenging times has been remarkable.
“By once again increasing our investment into one of the best all-round reward offers for store colleagues across retail, we’re making sure that every colleague, whatever they do and wherever they work, is properly rewarded and supported at M&S.”
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd February 2022 
