Morrisons staff to get three pay hikes in six months as £13 rule spreads
Morrisons will lift shop assistant pay to £13.11 by October under a three-stage plan backed by 91.87% of staff. The supermarket chain joins Tesco, Aldi and others adopting the '£13 rule' after the new National Living Wage took effect April 1.
Morrisons is set to deliver three pay rises to hourly staff within six months, the first supermarket to formalise such a rapid sequence after the National Living Wage jumped 50p to £12.71 on April 1. Under the deal agreed with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), shop assistants will see their wages climb from £12.71 to £12.81 on May 4, then to £13 on July 20 and finally to £13.11 on October 26.
Jodie Keating, group people director at Morrisons, said the increases reward colleagues for their ongoing contributions during a period of rising living costs. "We’re pleased we can now implement the pay proposal and increase pay for our colleagues," she said. All hourly employees will also receive a one-off bonus ranging from £25 to £175, scaled to their contracted hours. Other staff covered by the agreement will see a 19p rise in July and an additional 11p in October.
💡 Pro Tip
Track your payslips carefully after each increment to ensure the correct hourly rate and bonus are applied—discrepancies should be reported to HR within 14 days.
The move places Morrisons among a growing number of retailers adopting the informal '£13 rule,' which sets a floor for hourly wages across the sector. Since April 1, Primark raised customer assistant pay to £13 nationwide, with London staff seeing £13.71. Tesco increased store assistant rates to £13.35 nationally, while Aldi moved to £13.50 and Lidl to £13.45. Sainsbury’s boosted hourly pay to £14.54 and Marks & Spencer to £13.41.
| Retailer | April 1 Rate | Current Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Primark | £12.71 | £13.00 |
| Tesco | £12.71 | £13.35 |
| Aldi | £12.71 | £13.50 |
| Lidl | £12.71 | £13.45 |
| Sainsbury’s | £13.23 | £14.54 |
| M&S | £12.60 | £13.41 |
| Morrisons | £12.71 | £13.11 |
The ripple effect of the National Living Wage hike has intensified competition among retailers to attract and retain staff, particularly in London where rates now exceed £14.80 at several chains. Usdaw’s national officer, John Hannett, said the union continues to push for £15 an hour across the sector. "Workers deserve more than just the legal minimum," he said. "We’ll keep negotiating until dignity and security are guaranteed."
📋 By The Numbers
- £0.40 — Average hourly increase for Morrisons shop assistants between May and October
- £14.54 — Highest hourly rate now offered by Sainsbury’s, up from £13.23
- 21+ — Age threshold for the National Living Wage, now £12.71
Industry analysts note that the swift adoption of the £13 rule reflects broader labour market pressures, with vacancy rates in retail exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The Bank of England’s latest labour market report highlighted a 0.3% rise in average weekly earnings in the sector, but inflation-adjusted real wages remain below 2021 levels. Morrisons’ staggered increases aim to balance immediate cost pressures with long-term staff retention strategies.
- May 4 — First pay rise to £12.81 for eligible staff
- July 20 — Second rise to £13.00
- October 26 — Final increase to £13.11
- Bonus — One-off payment between £25 and £175 based on contracted hours
The chain’s 497 UK stores will implement the changes through their existing payroll systems, with HR teams trained to handle queries about deductions or tax code adjustments. Regional pay disparities remain, with London-based staff receiving uplifts above the national average to reflect the capital’s higher cost of living. Morrisons has not ruled out further increases if inflation continues to outpace wage growth.