Government urged to raise minimum wage to £15 an hour as low-paid pushed to ‘brink’

The government argues that raising the minimum wage could push unemployment up

Brits should be on a minimum of £15 an hour as the cost of living crisis worsens, trade union bosses argue. Inflation hit a double digit, 40-year high last week, soaring from 9.4 per cent in June to 10.1 per cent in July, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. This is the highest it has been since February 1982. [caption id="attachment_355534" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Food, fuel and energy prices are skyrocketing[/caption] This week, experts warned that inflation could surge to 18.6 per cent by January, the highest in almost half a century. Meanwhile, wages fell at the fastest rate since records began, dropping three per cent after inflation between April and June, ONS data also showed. Regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased by 4.7 per cent over the quarter but still failed to keep up with inflation. Now, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is urging ministers to bump up minimum wage as soon as possible to help Brits make ends meet amid the crisis. https://twitter.com/The_TUC/status/1562190682424758273 Minimum wage for those aged 23 and over is currently £9.50, and £9.18 for 21 and 22-year-olds. Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said: "Every worker should be able to afford a decent standard of living. "But millions of low-paid workers live wage packet to wage packet, struggling to get by - and they are now being pushed to the brink by eye-watering bills and soaring prices." https://twitter.com/FrancesOGrady/status/1562198865306329088 She said: "We can't keep lurching from crisis to crisis. Working families need long-term financial security - that means reversing the destructive trend of standstill wages. "Ministers should introduce fair pay agreements to get pay and productivity rising in low-paid sectors." Related links:

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