In response to the Chancellor's announcement today at Conservative Party Conference that the national living wage is set to increase to at least £11 an hour from next April 2024, our Director Katherine Chapman responds:
“A rise in the statutory National Living Wage from next April is welcome news for low paid workers, but may fall short of the real Living Wage next year, the only rate that is independently calculated based on the cost of living. The new real Living Wage rates will be announced later this month on the 24th October, where we expect a significant increase.
There are almost 14,000 employers who are committed to going beyond the minimum wage and always paying the real Living Wage to ensure that everyone who works for them, including contractors like cleaners and security guards, can earn a wage that meets the cost of living. And this matters – our research out last week showed that 60% of people earning below the real Living Wage had used a foodbank in the past year and nearly 40% were regularly skipping meals.
Jo, a machine operator at accredited Living Wage Employer One+All, who always had minimum wage jobs before working at One+All, said:
“I left school over 30 years ago and I was always paid the minimum wage. Money was always a problem: juggling bills, keeping to a budget and being short of cash. That’s just the way it was.
I was really pleased to get the job at One+All three years ago and when they told me they paid the real Living Wage! Working for a real Living Wage Employer has made a big difference to me and my family. Like everyone I work with, I come to work happy and with no money worries or stress - even with the higher prices of everything.”
Media contact: Emily Roe, Emily.roe@livingwage.org.uk / 07581430557