After several months of negotiations the negotiating parties have agreed. The new collective bargaining agreement 2017/2018 for the retail sector consists of two steps, first an increase of 2.3% and a further 2.0% increase over the next year. Furthermore, full time employees will receive a one-off payment of 50 Euros gross, while part-time employees will receive a pro rata payment and trainees 25 Euros.
Lidl welcomes the conclusion of the negotiations, but the company had expected better results. “We find fair pay and the appreciation of our employees important, and that is why we give, once again, a clear signal and significantly increase the negotiated wages for our employees,” states Marin Dokozic, Chief Executive Officer Lidl Germany.
Lidl increases pay with a total of 3% in the first and second year
Lidl decided to increase the pay of the employees, who are part of the collective bargaining agreement. So in addition to the increase negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement of 2.3% and 2.0%, Lidl Germany voluntarily increases the standard employees’ wages in the retail sector with a further 0.7% in the first and 1.0% in the second year, which adds up to a total of 3%. At the same time, the company doubles the one-off payment: for each full-time employee 100 Euros, part-time employees proportionately and trainees 50 Euros. “We want to share our success with the staff, because with their daily commitment they make a significant contribution to this success,” explains Dokozic.
Fair pay and appreciation for Lidl employees
With the voluntary increase, Lidl keeps developing itself as an employer. “We have to stay attractive in the fierce competition for the best employees in our sector,” continues Dokozic. Lidl has placed great value on decent wages before, for example, Lidl raised its own minimum wage to 12 Euros per hour in March.
With this voluntary increase, Lidl Germany shows again the way forward. Lidl Germany is one of the largest employers in food retail with more than 78,000 employees, and the majority of these employees are represented in the collective bargaining agreement.