Lidl maintains Living Wage as recommended 2025 rate reduced by 5c
Lidl Ireland was the first major nationwide employer to commit to paying the Living Wage in 2015
Lidl Ireland was the first major nationwide employer to commit to paying the Living Wage in 2015
Print24 September 2024
Lidl Ireland has announced that it will maintain the 2024 Living Wage rate of €14.80 despite the recommendation by the Living Wage Technical Group (LWTG) to reduce the rate by €0.05 to €14.75 for 2025.
Last year, the discounter noted that it invested €3 million to introduce the 2024 rate which benefitted 2,000 employees across Ireland, as all other employees were earning in excess of the 2024 Living Wage rate.
The Living Wage is an independently assessed recommended rate of income considered necessary to have a socially acceptable standard of living.
Last year’s adoption of the 2024 Living Wage rate of €14.80 followed a €14 million investment in pay rises by the company in March 2023.
Announcing Lidl’s commitment to maintain the 2024 Living Wage rate, Maeve McCleane, chief people officer, Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: “At Lidl, we value our colleagues as one of our greatest assets and are committed to supporting them with an industry leading package of employee compensation and benefit packages.
“We are conscious that although inflation is easing, the pressures of the cost of living remain.
“By maintaining the 2024 Living Wage rate of €14.80, we are setting the standard for the industry and illustrating our support of our colleagues across the organisation.”
Employees well-being
The retailer has introduced initiatives designed to ensure employees wellbeing is ‘top of mind’.
Current employee benefits provided by Lidl Ireland include:
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Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave: Lidl Ireland is the only supermarket to offer paid maternity as well as paternity leave to all employees across the country.
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Paid Fertility Leave: In April 2022, Lidl announced the introduction of Fertility Leave for Lidl employees who are undergoing IVF fertility treatments. These employees are offered two days at full pay per cycle, regardless of length of service. There is no limit to the number of cycles for which employees can avail of the policy.
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Removal of Mandatory Retirement Age: Lidl became the first large employer in Ireland to support employees who wish to work past the age of 65 by removing the mandatory retirement age of 65 from contracts.
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Compassionate Leave for Early Pregnancy Loss and Miscarriage: Lidl became the first company across the region to extend its Compassionate Leave policy to include three days at full pay to all employees who have experienced or been affected by early pregnancy loss and miscarriage. This extends to all employees, regardless of gender, including those with a surrogate mother.
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Supports for employees who have experienced domestic violence: Lidl Ireland supports its employees experiencing, or at risk of, domestic abuse by offering ten days paid leave, double the legal requirement of five days set by the Irish government.
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Menopause Supports: Lidl have launched a support guide for employees and line managers to better understand the impact menopause can have on an individual, in partnership with The Menopause Hub. This includes expert advice and pay for a consultation for the employee. Lidl was also named Best Large Company at the Menopause Workplace Excellence Awards.
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Surrogacy Leave: Lidl offers 24 weeks fully paid surrogacy leave as well as 4 days of Parental Preparation Classes to all employees across the country. This is available for the primary care giver (regardless of gender) while paternity leave is available to the secondary care giver (regardless of gender).
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Flexible Contracts: Like many retail businesses a high proportion of employees are on part-time contracts for various reasons from flexibility to operational requirements. Lidl offers contracts with a minimum of 30 hours to all store and warehouse employees to facilitate their changing needs.
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Employee Assistance Programme: A free, confidential counselling service is offered by Lidl to employees through Laya Healthcare’s Employee Assistance Programme. It offers support to Lidl employees and their families by providing immediate help and guidance in managing whatever work or personal issues they are facing.
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Paid Volunteering: Lidl provides all employees with the opportunity to take part in a paid Volunteer Day each year. Employees are encouraged to spend a day volunteering with charities in their local communities.
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Comprehensive Training Programmes: Employees benefit from extensive training and development opportunities which have enabled over 40% of our current store management to progress through the company having initially started as Customer Assistants.
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Pension contributions after one year with the company.
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Paid health insurance for salaried employees.
Lidl Ireland employs more than 6,000 employees in its 180 stores, Head Office in Tallaght and three distribution centres and regional offices based in Charleville, Mullingar and Newbridge.
Read more: Lidl commits to ‘living wage’ for all staff
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