Around 15 thousand Countdown supermarket workers will have more cash in their pockets after signing a new deal to pay them the living wage

First Union members negotiated and held out for the deal, providing a clear pathway to the living wage.

Employees who have worked at the supermarket for 12 months or more will earn at least 21 dollars and 15 cents per hour from September next year - up from seventeen dollars seventy per hour.

First Union's Tali Williams says the agreement shows it's possible and practical for all retail employers to pay their workers a living wage.

She says union members are pleased with Countdown's cooperation.