Over 300,000 Living Wage workers are set for a pay boost.
This week is Living Wage Week 2021. And to kick things off, the new 2021/22 living wage rates have been announced.
Over 300,000 workers are set for a vital pay boost as the new Living Wage rates rise to £9.90 across the UK (40p increase), and £11.05 in London (20p increase), supporting workers and families.
The real living wage is based on what people need to live and employers pay it voluntarily. At the heart of the movement is the idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. And there are 9,000 living wage accredited employers across the UK.
More than £1.6 billion in extra wages has gone to low-paid workers since the start of the Living Wage movement 20 years ago. And £613 million in extra wages has gone to low-paid workers since the start of lockdown, with a record number of employers signing up - over 3,000 since the pandemic began.
Major new Living Wage employers announced today include FTSE 100 construction firms Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes, Fujitsu, food delivery company Getir, and Capita.
Accord set an example to employers in the financial sector by signing up to the UK Living Wage Foundation in May 2015.
The union called on the employers it negotiates with to sign up too. Lloyds Banking Group became a Living Wage employer in November 2015 and TSB in August 2016.
Despite recent successes, 4.8 million employees (1 in 6 workers) are still paid below the Living Wage, with those from racialised groups more likely to be paid below the Living Wage than white workers (19.4% compared to 16.3%).
The Living Wage Foundation is calling on all major employers to step up and tackle the rising problem of low pay by committing to go beyond the government minimum and pay a wage in line with the real cost of living.
"With living costs rising so rapidly, today’s new Living Wage rates will provide hundreds of thousands of workers and their families with greater security and stability." Katherine Chapman, Living Wage Foundation Director
