UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak announced the increase of the National Living Wage from £8.91 per hour to £9.50, which is going to be announced in the press conference on Wednesday 27th October. The announcement comes after the government was accused in recent months of putting pressure on the low-paid workers and young adults, which have been the most affected during the Covid pandemic.
Thanks to the 6.6% increase in the national minimum wage, an employee who works 35 hours a week would be earning an extra £1,000 per year. The increase in the National Minimum Wage will also affect workers of other age groups:
for those aged between 21 and 22, it will go up from the current £8.36 to £9.18 per hour, with an increase of 9.8%; for workers aged 18-20, from £6.56 to £6.83; for under-18s from £4.62 to £4.81; while for those who work through apprenticeships it will go up from £4.30 to £4.82. Rishi Sunak commented that the increase “is in line to abolish low-paid jobs on which the government is working and which it would like to complete it by the end of the term.”
The Chancellor also added that “this government is on the side of the workers” and that the goal is to ensure a national minimum wage equal to two thirds of median salary and extend it to workers over the age of 21 years by 2024. A decisive role in raising the national minimum wage was played by the independent groups Living Wage Foundation and Low Pay Commission: The British Treasury has accepted all the recommendations proposed by the two independent advisory boards.
Domenico Santomasi
Photo by Shaun Wadham on Unsplash
