NESTLE workers were celebrating yesterday after the multinational food manufacturer pledged to pay the living wage to all of its staff yesterday, as campaigners hailed the move as a “significant milestone.”

Nestle UK & Ireland, which already employs 8,000 people on the salary package, will be implementing the £8.80 an hour rate in London and £7.65 everywhere else by the end of 2017.

Several unions welcomed the company’s new policy.

“Nestle has always recognised its greatest asset is its workforce and is demonstrating this with action, not just words,” said GMB regional secretary Tim Roache.

Nestle said it was “proud” to become a comprehensive living wage employer.

The company’s chief executive Fiona Kendrick added she saw the decision “as an opportunity to be a positive influence in our sector.”

The scheme will not only be rolled out to permanent staff, but also to interns, contracted and agency workers.

Ms Kendrick went on to say that paying workers the living wage was “the right thing to do” because “not only does it benefit our employees but also the communities they live and work in."

Unite’s general secretary Len McCluskey pointed out that “with in-work poverty on the rise, many employers are simply ignoring their responsibility to pay staff a decent wage.

“They should take note from Nestle’s positive stance which shows that paying a living wage is not just good for communities but makes good business sense too,” he concluded.

According to the Office of National Statistics the food industry currently employs over 400000 people in Britain.