Big grocery chains to raise wages, safety levels during COVID-19 pandemic

Loblaws has announced that they are temporarily raising wages by an estimated 15 per cent, while Metro is raising wages by $2 an hour and Sobeys mos recently announced they are increasing pay by $50 per week regardless of hours worked.

The increases are retroactive to March 8 and will be reassessed in late April.

Additionally, along with Sobeys, the two big Canadian grocery chains will be installing plexiglass shields at service counters and acquiring more safety wear to protect workers against the spread of COVID-19.

Metro, said in a statement that its employees in stores and distribution centres will receive an extra $2 an hour from March 8 to May 2.

And Metro, which also includes Food Basics, is installing plexiglass protectors at the front end and at services counters in all its stores.

Sobeys is calling there pay increase Hero Pay

“The work should be completed in the next few days,” the company said.

“We will also implement other measures to reinforce social distance in the next few days including limiting the number of customers in our stores as required.”

Meanwhile, Loblaws says in a statement from Galen Weston that they will temporarily raise wages for employees in their stores and distrubution centres by “approximately 15 per cent retroactive to March 8th in recognition of their outstanding and ongoing efforts keeping our stores open and operating so effectively.”

Sobeys employees are also washing their hands every 15 minutes and installing floor markers at checkout lines, to make sure each customer maintains a distance of at least two metres.

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