Marks & Spencer raises pay by 6.4% but ends real living wage commitment

In Brief

M&S increases pay for 55,000 workers by 6.4% but stops aligning with real living wage.

Key Facts

• Marks & Spencer announced a 6.4% pay increase for its store workers
• The pay rise affects approximately 55,000 employees
• M&S has discontinued its pledge to pay workers in line with the voluntary real living wage
• Shareholder activist group ShareAction has urged M&S to reinstate the real living wage commitment
• The real living wage is a voluntary benchmark higher than the UK government’s minimum wage

What Happened

Marks & Spencer implemented a 6.4% pay increase for around 55,000 store workers but ended its previous commitment to pay wages aligned with the voluntary real living wage. Shareholder activist group ShareAction called on M&S to reinstate the real living wage pledge. M&S has not provided a public statement explaining the decision to end the real living wage commitment in the cited sources.

Why It Matters

The pay increase affects a significant number of retail workers. The change in wage policy and shareholder response are part of ongoing discussions about pay standards in the UK retail sector. No official rationale from M&S was reported in the sources reviewed.