GMB welcome the increase of the Living Wage to £10.85 an hour in London and £9.50 per hour outside London
GMB welcome increase of London Living Wage to £10.85 per hour and UK Living Wage to £9.50 per hour and call on employers to step up and start paying it
1/5 of workers in London don’t earn enough to live on. The increase to the London Living Wage reflects that it costs more to meet the basics in the capital. Our members across all industries are struggling with many facing redundancies, but our members in essential services like; social care, hospitals, schools, food production and supermarkets – must be paid at least the real Living Wage.
It’s simply wrong that our Key Workers are risking everything on the frontline but they’re also on the breadline. All the evidence shows paying the Living Wage isn’t just the right thing to do – it makes business sense too. Staff are more focused and there’s less turnover when they’re not worried about how to feed their families, says GMB London.
GMB London welcomes the news that the ‘Living Wage’ has risen to £10.85 per hour in London and £9.50 for the rest of the UK.
The figure, independently calculated by the Living Wage Foundation and announced today (November 09) is based on what people need to live in London and has risen by 10p from £10.75 per hour.
The real living wage paid in the East of England is £9.50 per hour, an increase of 20p from £9.30.
GMB London calls on all employers in London and the East of England to pay the voluntary London Living Wage which is now £2.13 per hour higher than the government minimum wage (for over 25s) of £8.72 per hour, with the UK Living Wage now 78p per hour higher.
Tony Warr, GMB London Acting Regional Secretary said:
"GMB welcomes the increase of the Living Wage to £10.85 an hour in London and £9.50 per hour outside London.
"It’s time for those employers paying less to start paying the real Living Wage. In particular, contractors in the public sector providing social care, transport and services within the NHS - all paid for by public funds.
"The demands on workers during the pandemic need to be recognised, some of the lowest-paid have given their all, and in some cases their life. Key workers in care homes, our NHS, and those keeping food on our tables should know they can afford food on theirs. They’re on the frontline – they shouldn’t be on the breadline, all workers deserve better pay.
"It is an incredibly difficult time for everyone, businesses and workers alike – but people must be able to earn enough to cover the basic living costs - that means earning a real Living Wage. This rise will help many but nowhere near enough because too many employers continue to pay the minimum wage or below to maximize their profits.
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Contact:
Tony Warr, GMB London Acting Regional Secretary 077 1063 1336 or Lola McEvoy, GMB London Region Organiser 079 6744 0297
Notes to Editors
Living Wage Foundation Press Release (09 November 2020)
