Pay boost for half a million workers as real living wage to rise
Workers at these companies could get £5k pay rise as living wage increases
- The voluntary real living wage is set to increase to £13.45 an hour across the UK and £14.80 an hour in London, benefiting nearly half a million workers.
- This 6.7 per cent rise (6.9 per cent in London) adds 85p an hour to the UK rate and 95p to the London rate.
- The Living Wage Foundation, which calculates the rate based on the cost of essentials, says that a full-time worker on the real living wage will earn £2,418 more annually than someone on the government's minimum wage, and £5,050 more in London.
- Over 16,000 UK companies, including Ikea, Oxfam, Lush, Uniqlo, Aviva, Linklaters, KPMG and thousands more, voluntarily pay the living wage to all staff and third-party contractors.
- The increase aims to help workers better cope with rising living costs, as recent research showed many low-paid workers are struggling to afford essentials.