Lidl commits to pay Living Wage of 11,50 €

Lidl has just announced its intention to pay all its employees at least the 11,50 € per hour Living Wage, an amount considered necessary to meet all basic standards of living.

Lidl said the measure will be introduced from November 1, adding that the new rate is 30% higher than the current minimum wage of €8.65. It will benefit 700 workers of the 3,500 team.

“Already 80% of our team earn in excess of the living wage, however it is important for us to ensure that those whose hourly pay falls below €11.50 benefit from a substantial increase”, commented John Paul Scally, Managing Director at Lidl Ireland.

You can check Lidl Ireland’s job offers here.

Skeptical suppliers

The move has received criticism from some other parts of the supply chain. Farmers’ associations charged against the “aggressive pricing” policies which “put people out of business”. Irish Farmers’ Association president Eddie Downey asked if Lidl would “like to tell its customers what they are going to do to ensure that farmers and others supplying them will get a living wage.”