The Living Wage Is Going Up And 180,000 Workers Are Getting A Pay Rise

The national rate has gone up to £9 an hour.
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An estimated 180,000 workers will be given a pay rise thanks to an increase in the voluntary living wage.

Employers who have signed up to the scheme will raise their hourly pay rates by 25p to £9 outside London and by 35p to £10.55 in the capital.

The Living Wage Foundation said the increases have been largely driven by higher transport costs, private rents and council tax.

More than 4,700 employers have signed up to pay the voluntary living wage to their staff, ranging from football clubs and banks, to universities and retail firms.

Living Wage Foundation director Tess Lanning said: “Responsible businesses know that the government minimum is not enough to live on, and today’s new living wage rates will provide a boost for thousands of workers throughout the UK.

“Employers that pay the real living wage enable their workers to live a life of dignity, supporting them to pay off debts and meet the pressures of rising bills.

“We want to see local councils, universities, football clubs, bus companies and the other major public and private sector employers in every city commit to become real living wage employers.

“When they do, thousands of people get a pay rise, but other local employers also follow their lead.”

The new rates are £2.72 higher than the statutory living wage for London workers and £1.17 higher in other parts of the UK.

The statutory rate will increase to £8.21 an hour next April for workers aged 25 and over.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he will be writing to major sporting and cultural institutions in the capital, urging them to pay the living wage.

He also announced that the London Stadium was the latest to become a living wage employer.

Sadiq Khan is calling for more London businesses to adopt the living wage scheme
Sadiq Khan is calling for more London businesses to adopt the living wage scheme
Michael Bowles/REX/Shutterstock

“I am determined to make London a fairer and more equal city, so I’m proud to say that the London Stadium has joined businesses across the capital in becoming a living wage employer,” Khan said.

“Now I’m calling on all of our city’s employers – in the public and private sectors – to do the same and to start paying their workforce the London living wage.

“And I’m calling on our most influential institutions – from our universities, local authorities, and airports, to our football clubs, theatres and galleries – to help lead the way.

“More workplaces need to step up and fulfil their obligations to our city and our society.

“Paying the London living wage is not only the action of a responsible organisation, but a successful one too.

“Many of the accredited employers I speak to tell me of the increased productivity and reduced staff turnover that they’ve experienced since signing up so I wholeheartedly encourage more businesses across our great city to get involved.”

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