All workers on minimum wage should see their hourly pay upped to £15 amid the cost of living crisis, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said.
The TUC said that the new wage should be put in place “as soon as possible” and that it should apply to workers of all ages, putting an end to the different wage tiers for workers aged between 16 and 22. They have now called on the Government to deliver a plan that will help boost pay for workers, The Mirror reports .
The TUC launched their ‘Fight For 15’ UK campaign on Tuesday, writing on Twitter : “Millions of low-paid workers are being pushed to the brink by eye-watering bills and soaring prices. Yet companies are making record profits and handing massive pay rises to those at the very top.
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“Higher wages are good for the economy,” they continued. “More money for working people means more money spent on our high streets.”
The proposed new wage would amount to a minimum of £29,250 per year for a full-time person working 37.5 hours per week. It would be a considerable increase on the current National Living Wage, which is £9.50 for those aged 23 and over with lower rates for younger workers.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady 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.”
The trade union leaders have said that the Government must deliver “a plan to strengthen and extend collective bargaining across the economy”, with proposals including corporate governance reforms as well as a learning and skills strategy to address labour shortages. O’Grady added: “Ministers should introduce fair pay agreements to get pay and productivity rising in low-paid sectors.”
The calls come as UK unions across several sectors are leading walk-outs in a bid to secure higher wages. Train staff, members of the Criminal Bar Association and Royal Mail are among the workers taking part in industrial action this month, with NHS nurses and teachers among those planning to hold strike ballots in September.
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