Aldi to implement living wage for store employees

German supermarket Aldi said it would raise its minimum wage rate to €12.30 per hour, saying it was the first retailer in Ireland to introduce the living wage rate.

The company also said it plans to add 550 jobs this year and open nine new stores.

The new hourly rate is the recomendation of the Living Wage Technical Group, and will roll out to Aldi staff from February 1st. The move will see some Aldi store assistants earn up to €14.10 per hour.

The living wage is defined by advocates as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet his basic needs. Rival Lidl has also committed to paying the increase, announcing in November it planned to implement the new rate.

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Aldi will be recruiting for store assistants, assistant managers and store managers at its 140 Irish shops. Fourteen shops will also be revamped as part of a €60 million investment programme. Some €100 million has been committed to investing in 20 new stores arounf the country.

The company currently employs almost 4,000 staff in Ireland.

“At Aldi we pride ourselves in being one of the best employers in the country, employing almost 4,000 staff from across Ireland and paying them accordingly for the quality work they do,” said Giles Hurley, chief executive for Aldi UK & Ireland. “That is why we are delighted to announce that Aldi will again meet the Living Wage Technical Group’s recommended minimum wage of €12.30 per hour, in addition to our plans to hire 550 new staff throughout the year.”

The most recent data for Ireland’s grocery sector put Aldi at 11.3 per cent market share (Kantar Worldpanel data).