Aldi is the UK’s first supermarket to introduce brand new initiative

Major supermarket Aldi will be the first UK supermarket to increase its store assistants’ pay to £11 an hour. This is more than a 15 percent jump from what it was a year ago.Workers within the M25 will receive a higher wage of £12.45 an hour.The cost of living crisis in full spring and many Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills.Aldi has decided to up the pay of store assistants which will help them navigate the current crisis.It will also reward employees for their hard work. The change will affect more than 26,000 workers across the country.READ MORE: Ideal time to dine out for cheaper restaurant bill Aldi is the UK’s first supermarket to introduce brand new initiative – starting January (Image: Aldi / Getty)Aldi said it has invested around £81 million into raising pay over the past 12 months to help mitigate the cost of living crisis, reported the Liverpool Echo.This is just one of Aldi’s store expansion plans, with the budget supermarket also set to create more than 6,000 new jobs this year.This is in addition to the 4,500 permanent roles introduced in 2021.Store assistants will not be the only employees benefiting from a pay increase at Aldi.DON’T MISSQueen Elizabeth II’s favourite piece of jewellery cost up to £1million [INSIGHT]Charles’ coronation may be ‘cancelled’ amid royal ‘crisis’ – claims [ASTROLOGY]Most ageing hair colour to ‘avoid’ – and what to go for instead [EXPERT] Aldi store assistants will see their pay increase on January 1, 2023 (Image: Getty) Average grocery basket price rise in 2021 (Image: EXPRESS)It covers all and any workers aged 18 and above, however it is not statutory law, rather, it is voluntary.Giles Hurley, chief executive officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, commented on Aldi’s latest initiative for store assistants.She stated: “Just as we promise Aldi customers that we will always offer the lowest grocery prices in Britain, we are committed to being the highest-paying supermarket for our colleagues.”We are incredibly proud of every single member of Team Aldi and are pleased to become the first UK supermarket to pay a minimum of £11 per hour to all store assistants, exceeding the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended real living wage,” reported the Liverpool Echo.Express.co.uk has contacted Aldi for comment.