John Lewis is to offer free food to all its workers, including temporary staff, during its peak Christmas trading period as a way to help with the cost of living. Workers in stores, warehouses and its head office will be able to get breakfast and lunch in staff canteens while those on the road, such as long-distance lorry drivers, will be able to order a packed lunch. The offer, which will run from 3 October to 6 January, comes as retailers and other businesses battle in a tight labour market to sign up staff for what could be a tough last three months of the year as rising energy bills, food and petrol prices put the squeeze on household budgets. Perks include free food, interest-free loans, gift cards, one-off cost of living bonuses of as much as £2,000 and additional staff shopping discounts. Some hospitals have set up food banks or are offering emergency hardship loans to workers struggling to cope while holiday specialist Hays Travel holds a prize draw each month; the August winner will have their bills paid for six months. Union leaders said one-off benefits were not substitute for a pay rise. Kate Bell, the head of economics at the TUC, said: “Of course workers will take any form of help they can get this winter. But the only real way to give working families security is a decent pay rise. “One-off support is not enough. We need to get wages rising across the economy to end this living standards crisis.” High levels of employment and Brexit, which has disrupted the flow of workers from the EU, have made it harder for businesses to recruit temporary staff. The John Lewis Partnership, which includes the upmarket grocer Waitrose, is trying to recruit more than 10,000 temporary roles in the UK this Christmas, including shop assistants, warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Owned by its workers, it is known as among the best payers on the high street, offering a minimum of £11.05 an hour in London and £9.90 across the rest of the UK plus an annual profit-related bonus. But its rates have become less competitive. The group’s UK hourly rate has been overtaken by most of the major supermarkets who now pay at least £10 an hour. Its annual bonus has also come under pressure, with no payment in 2021 and only 3% – the equivalent to one and a half week’s pay – this year, as the group’s profits have been hit by the pandemic and rising costs. The executive team including its chair, Sharon White, donated their bonuses to the Red Cross this year, but White earns a basic salary of close to £1m.