Ikea will pay store West Midlands staff Living Wage

Currently 400 workers are employed at the 269,000 sq ft shop, just off the M6 at Park Lane, and most are from the Black Country.

Ikea will adopt the Living Wage from April 1 next year and will pay it as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

All workers employed by Ikea across the UK will receive a minimum of £7.85 per hour and £9.15 per hour in London.

More than 50 per cent of its 9,000 staff will get the wage increase. Those currently earning £7.85 an hour or above will not see a rise in their wages.

Ikea has also been one of the big backers of the Express & Star's Ladder for the Black Country campaign and is rolling out the training scheme across all its UK stores.

Gillian Drakeford, Ikea UK and Ireland country manager, said: "As a values-driven organisation, we are guided by our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people, which of course includes our co-workers.

"We believe our people are the inner strength of our company, so it is only right to ensure we provide a meaningful wage that supports the cost of living.

"Introducing the Living Wage is not only the right thing to do for our co-workers, but it also makes good business sense.

"This is a long-term investment in our people based on our values and our belief that a team with good compensation and working conditions is in a position to provide a great experience to our customers."

The introduction of the Living Wage is part of a wider transformation Ikea is making to basic conditions as it looks to ensure that workers not only have the right level of pay but also a schedule that works for them, as well as the business and customers, and the right contract.

Rhys Moore, director of The Living Wage Foundation, said: "We are delighted with this momentous announcement that Ikea will be accrediting as a Living Wage employer. This is a historic moment in the life of the Living Wage movement, as Ikea become the first national retailer to announce their commitment to the Living Wage and they will reward all their staff with an hourly rate of pay that covers the cost of living."

"This is a huge step for the British retail sector and we hope that many other businesses will follow the leadership Ikea is showing on the issue of basic pay."

The Living Wage is the latest in a series of investments that Ikea has made in its co-workers over the past two years. In 2013, the One Ikea Bonus programme was introduced, which sees all workers receive a performance-related bonus, as well as the Tack! loyalty programme, which rewards co-workers who have been with Ikea for more than five years with an annual contribution to their individual pension plans.