New research shows the huge disparity between supermarket CEO pay and their store colleagues’ pay.
Our latest research shows the stark disparity between the salaries of the supermarket CEOs and their colleagues on the minimum wage. The research found that it would take just 23 hours and 15 minutes – or just under two day’s work – for the average supermarket CEO to earn the annual salary of a shop floor colleague on the minimum wage. Calculations based on academic analysis show that CEOs in the sector make nearly £750 an hour compared to a minimum wage of £8.91.
There are growing calls for supermarkets to commit to paying all staff a real Living Wage, the wage rate set by the Living Wage Foundation and calculated based on the cost of living. Over 9,000 businesses pay the real Living Wage and are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation, including Everton FC, Aviva, Burberry, KPMG and thousands of small-to-medium sized businesses. However, not one supermarket is accredited with the Living Wage Foundation.
It is estimated that over 350,000 supermarket workers in the UK – that’s more than 2 in 5 – earn below the real Living Wage, and low pay in supermarkets disproportionately affects women, BAME workers, disabled and part-time staff:
- 49% of all female supermarket workers earn below the real Living Wage, compared to just 35% of men.
- Workers from Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds (44%) are more likely to earn below the real Living Wage than their white counterparts (41%).
- Part-time workers (55%) are also more likely to earn below the real Living Wage than full-time workers (28%).
- Half (50%) of disabled workers in the supermarket sector earn below the Living Wage, compared to 41% of those without a disability.
With the rising cost of living, campaigners are calling for the UK’s supermarkets to commit to a real Living Wage for their staff.
Our findings were covered in the Mirror, Metro and the Daily Star, as well as being used as a topic for debate on the Jeremy Vine Show (1:54:00).