Lidl is set to become the first large employer in Ireland to paying a ‘living wage’ of €11.50 per hour.

The move will affect the 20 per cent of staff who are currently below the €11.50 rate. This means that about 700 of the company’s 3,800 staff are set to benefit from the move.

The Living Wage is an independently assessed and measured rate of income considered necessary have a social acceptable standard of living.

In Lidl Northern Ireand, a similar commintment is also being made to employees using the sterling benchmarked Living Wage.

John Paul Scally, Lidl Ireland manging director said: “It is important for us to ensure that those whose hourly pay falls below €11.50 benefit from a substantial increase. This would bring them to a level that is more reflective of enjoying a better standard of living.”

“At Lidl we are in a fortunate position that the last few years have seen our business go from strength to strength in a difficult economic situation. Key to this has been the dedication and commitment shown by our team so for us this move is a way of recognising that commitment and investing in future proofing our business.”

He added: “From our perspective, attracting and retaining the best employees will mean we’ll have an even better proposition for our customers which will help us continue to grow market share as we build a bigger business more deeply rooted in communities across the country.”

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