Aston Martin workers' £1k cost-of-living payment

Luxury car maker Aston Martin has said it will give more than 2,500 workers a one-off payment of £1,000 to help with the cost of living.

The firm, which has its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, said the payment recognised cost-of-living pressures and built on its "long-standing support for its people".

The employees and contractors at UK sites, who include technicians and office workers below management level, will also receive a 4% annual pay rise under a two-year deal.

The Unite union said its members "voted in large majority" to accept the deal following lengthy negotiations between itself and Aston Martin Lagonda.

Simon Smith, chief people officer at Aston Martin, said the deal put people at the heart of the organisation and made it a "great place to work".

"It builds on our continued support for colleagues with the high cost of living and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.

Manufacturing technicians would also receive a 1.5% rise in 2025, and a one-hour reduction in the working week, the firm said.

The pay offer came as Aston Martin stopped production of some models ahead of a ramp-up of production of new models later this year.

Mr Smith said the move promoted talent retention and labour certainty for the business "as we enter an important period of production".

In February, the car maker said it would recruit about 400 technicians at Gaydon and St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, to help produce the DBX707 luxury SUV and other models.