LONDON— Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC is offering U.K. staff a one-time payment of £2,000, equivalent to about $2,450, hoping the bonus will help ease pressure from union officials and employees over rising inflation while keeping a lid on the jet-engine maker’s costs ahead of an uncertain economic future.
The move is one of many approaches companies are taking to address soaring inflation that has unions and workers in many parts of the world demanding higher pay. For months, private companies have been boosting salaries and wages and offering signing or retention bonuses, amid exploding post-lockdown demand and super-tight labor markets. More recently, surging prices for items from food to fuel have weighed on workers’ buying power, pressuring employers to boost pay to make up the shortfall.
