Faster progress needed on the minimum wage, says TUC
Commenting on the new national minimum wage rates which come into force today (Sunday), TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“It’s good that the minimum wage is rising above inflation, but it needs a serious boost in the coming years.
“We need to get it to £10 an hour as soon as possible. At the moment its not even on track to reach £9 an hour by 2020 – the amount promised by George Osborne.
“In-work poverty remains a huge problem in Britain. Today’s rises shouldn't cloud that fact.”
|
|
Current rates |
New rates from 1 April 2018 |
|
25 and above |
£7.50 |
£7.83 |
|
21-24 |
£7.05 |
£7.38 |
|
18-20 |
£5.60 |
£5.90 |
|
16-17* |
£4.05 |
£4.20 |
|
Apprentice rate** |
£3.50 |
£3.70 |
- *16-year olds above school leaving age
- **Apprentices aged 16-18 and older apprentices in the first year of their apprenticeships. Other apprentices are entitled to the appropriate aged based rate.
- The national minimum wage is actively enforced by HM Revenue and Customs. Contact the ACAS helpline: www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights; Phone 0300 123 1100 .
- The real Living Wage is a voluntary standard that is accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. The current rates are £10.20 per hour in London and £8.75 in the rest of the UK. The government refers to the minimum wage rate for over 25s as “the national living wage”. This name has been the source of some confusion.
- The latest ONS inflation figures show CPI 2.5% higher than the year before. Inflation is expected to average of 2.4% during 2018 (Office of Budget Responsibility forecast, March 2018).
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