Lush Cosmetics has increased pay for its UK employees by more than 10% as of this month in order to pay its workforce a living wage.
Its pay rate was raised to £10.90 per hour for staff aged 18 and above across the UK, and £11.95 per hour for those located in London. This brings the business’ UK pay in line with the rate set by the Living Wage Foundation, which is based on the true cost of living and is higher than the national living wage of £10.18 per hour for employees aged under 23, and £10.42 per hour for those aged 23 and above.
According to the retailer, it was important to go above and beyond to pay its employees the living wage due to the continuing cost-of-living crisis.
Kim Coles, finance director at Lush Cosmetics, said: “Lush staff making and selling our products are crucial to our success and we continue to commit to the rate to ensure that, as the cost of living continues to rise, we can be confident that our rates of pay are fair and that our staff can afford what they need to thrive, not just to survive.”
Lush, which is employee-owned, offers its workforce a bonus scheme where staff can receive a maximum pay out of up to of 50% of their pay, 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, the option to purchase an extra week of holiday for central support teams, a cycle-to-work scheme and free accessories up to 10% of the value of the bike, eye test vouchers, an employee assistance programme (EAP), parental pay and support, 50% staff discount, birthdays off and contribution to an ethical pension scheme.