Virgin Money to hand out £1,000 cost-of-living bonus to staff
The banking group said all employees who are paid £50,000 a year or less, which represents 78% of its workforce, will receive the payment in August.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Virgin Money has told the majority of its staff they will receive a £1,000 one-off bonus to help with the soaring cost of living.
The banking group said all of its employees who are paid £50,000 a year or less, which represents 78% of its workforce, will be eligible.
Around 6,000 people will receive the windfall as part of their August pay packet.
In an internal memo seen by the PA news agency, chief executive officer David Duffy explained the rationale behind the move.
“The increase in the cost of living is on everyone’s minds, whether in political circles, in the media, or in the local supermarket,” he said.
“It’s also been part of many conversations among the leadership team because we know that many colleagues are experiencing additional pressure on their finances.
“This has been echoed in what you’ve told us in Pulse surveys, in our colleague engagement sessions, and other forums including discussions with our trade union.”
Mr Duffy said the group has monitored “the situation closely” and decided now is the right time to offer more financial support.
It is the latest bank to hand a one-off bonus to staff amid the soaring cost of living, with Lloyds announcing a similar £1,000 payment to its employees last month.
Caren Evans, national officer at Unite, the union representing the bank’s workers, said: “Unite has secured the £1,000 payment following a campaign to show Virgin Money UK how the increases to the cost of living is hitting the overwhelming majority of its staff.
“The union will now continue to campaign to secure a consolidated pay increase for the whole workforce to ensure that all wages increase in line with inflation.”