Morrisons upped hourly pay at its UK stores second time in 2026 last month. In May, the grocery giant announced that a proposed pay deal for store and manufacturing workers been given the greenlight by USDAW union, which negotiates pay for large sections of Morrisons’ workforce.
It paved the way for implementing pay rises for all eligible hourly-paid staff across three phases. It started with hourly rates for all Customer Assistants rising to £12.81 (backdated to March 30), with all other established hourly rates for eligible roles seeing a 10p uplift. From Monday, July 20, 2026, customer assistants at Morrisons stores saw their pay going up from £12.81 to £13.00, while all other established hourly rates for the other roles rose by 19p.
The final increase will come into effect from Monday, October 26, 2026, when the hourly rate will rise from £13.00 to £13.11, with pay for the other roles seeing an 11p increase.
In the May announcement, Morrisons said in addition to the pay rises, all eligible hourly paid colleagues would receive a one-off fixed payment of between £25 and £175 based on their contractual hours.
Jodie Keating, group people director of Morrisons, said at the time: “We’re pleased that we can now implement the pay proposal and increase pay for our colleagues to reward them for the contribution they make to our business.
“I would like to thank all our colleagues for everything they continue to do for Morrisons.” It came as rival supermarket chains also upped workers’ pay this year to retain and attract staff, as cost-of-living pressures continue to hit British households.
Morrisons is just one of several retailers who introduced pay increases this year, as retailers look to attract and retain staff.
For example, Sainsbury’s previously brought in an above-inflation pay increase of 5% for hourly paid workers in March, with hourly pay pushed up to £13.23 per hour nationally, whilst in London it rose to £14.54 per hour.
In London, entry-level store workers had their pay increased to £14.80 per hour, while the hourly rate for experienced staff can rise up to £15.35.
The following month, Store Assistants working at Aldi’s UK branches also saw their pay rise (to £13.50 per hour nationally, with those working inside in the M25 getting £14.88).
These pay rates rise to £14.47 and £15.20, respectively, based on length of service.
