Supermarkets make progress on shop worker pay – but they can still do better

Announcements from Sainsbury’s and Tesco in the last week are welcome but we still await the first big grocer to achieve living wage accreditation, writes James Moore

The Covid-19 pandemic drew attention to poor pay in the sector as staff risked their lives going to work (PA)

Remember when Labour and the Tories engaged in a ding-dong battle over who could pledge the highest minimum wage rate? Lately, the supermarkets have been engaged in a similar battle.

First Tesco, which had been spluttering in the hourly pay slow lane, joined the £10-an-hour club by announcing an increase to £10.10 in the summer, up from the current £9.55.

Most of its workers will thus be paid more than the rate recommended by the living wage campaign (£9.90). It is based on the actual cost of living, by contrast to what the government likes to describe as the national living wage, which is not.