Apple Raises Pay of US Employees Amid Tight Labour Market, Surge in Unionisation, to Be Effective From July

Apple has raised the pay for its hourly US employees, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday, as companies face a tight labour market, a surge in unionisation efforts and rising inflation.

The starting pay for hourly workers in the United States will rise to $22 (roughly Rs. 1,700), or higher based upon the market, a 45 percent jump from 2018 levels, Apple said in a statement to Reuters.

"This year as part of our annual performance review process, we're increasing our overall compensation budget," a company spokesperson said.

Apple has informed some workers their annual reviews would be advanced by three months and the new pay will take effect in early July, the Wall Street Journal, which first the changes in compensation, said.

Cupertino, California-based Apple is known for its reticent culture, but last year some current and former workers began criticising the company's working conditions online.

In April, workers at Apple's Atlanta store filed a petition to hold a union election, seeking to become the company's first US store to unionise amid a wave of labour activity at other major firms.

In early May as well, a group of employees at an Apple store in Maryland started a drive to form a union, the Washington Post reported.

Organisers at the Towson Mall store near Baltimore said they had signatures from more than 65 percent of employees who are likely to be eligible, according to the report.

The union intends to file paperwork with the National Labour Relations Board in the coming days, the Washington Post said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.