Three million workers affected by national living wage increase

A leading charity has estimated that one in five UK employees earn below the ‘real living wage’.

The Government raised the National Living Wage to £8.72 an hour from 1 April.

The Living Wage Foundation says the rates for the living wage are £10.75 an hour for those living within London and £9.30 an hour for those outside the capital.

The scheme is separate to the statutory National Living Wage, the legally binding hourly rate for workers aged 25 and over.

The change will affect hundreds of thousands of key workers dubbed critical to the fight against the coronavirus crisis by the Government, such as hospital cleaners and porters, teaching assistants and carers.

The GMB union said the coronavirus crisis had shone a light on the ‘rock-bottom pay’ of people ‘expected to risk their health to protect us’.

It says more than 3 million workers could be affected and called for key workers’ wages to be raised.