Retail giant Amazon has announced that it is increasing its minimum wage to £10.50 an hour for the London area and £9.50 for the rest of the UK for all full-time, part-time, temporary (including those hired through agencies) and seasonal workers – effective from 1 November.
The company estimates that the change will benefit more than 17,000 employees, as well as more than 20,000 seasonal workers who will be taken on during the festive season.
The move follows criticism of the company’s pay policies, which previously were deemed to be set at minimum levels.
Doug Gurr, Amazon VP and UK Country Manager, said they were excited about the announcement. “This will impact more than 37,000 employees across the country, resulting in higher pay for them and their families.”
The move coincides with a similar raise in the US, where employees will receive a new minimum wage of $15 an hour, affecting 250,000 employees and more than 100,000 seasonal staff.
“We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO. “We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.”
Amazon’s public policy team will also begin advocating for an increase in the federal minimum wage in the US.
“We will be working to gain Congressional support for an increase in the federal minimum wage. The current rate of $7.25 was set nearly a decade ago,” said Jay Carney, Senior Vice President of Amazon Global Corporate Affairs. “We intend to advocate for a minimum wage increase that will have a profound impact on the lives of tens of millions of people and families across this country.”
