National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates today increase to:

• 25 and over   £8.21
• 21 to 24          £7.70
• 18 to 20          £6.15
• Under 18       £4.35

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We recently lost our former General Secretary Garfield Davies, may he rest in peace, who led the campaign for Labour to adopt the policy of a minimum wage. That became a reality in 1999 because Labour delivered in government and it remains one of their finest achievements. Many workers under the age of 40 won’t remember a time when there wasn’t a minimum wage, when employers could pay as little as they liked, which many did.
 
“In the last 20 years millions of workers have seen a boost in wages, without the mass unemployment predicted by the Conservatives at the time, who vehemently opposed the introduction of a minimum wage. Usdaw has continued to provide evidence based arguments to the Low Pay Commission, who set the rate, and we won a minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds, a lowering to 21 the age the adult rate applies, and helped secure rate increases. Unfortunately those improvements were undermined by the Coalition Government, who effectively removed the adult rate for under-25s with the introduction of the so-called ‘national living wage’.
 
“The new rates that are implemented today fall short of a real Living Wage, and there is far more to be done. While the Chancellor recommitted in his Spring Statement to increase the so-called ‘national living wage’ to 60% of median earnings, the Office of Budget Responsibility now predicts that will result in only £8.72 per hour, a long way short of the original promise of over £9. So we are campaigning to build on the successes of the last 20 years to ensure that work pays for everyone.”
 
Usdaw’s ‘time for better pay’ petition on the .gov website can be accessed at: www.usdaw.org.uk/T4BP Usdaw is asking members and all who agree that workers deserve better pay and rights to sign the petition and share it with friends, family and colleagues.
 
Paddy Lillis continues: “The ‘time for better pay’ petition was launched to end job insecurity and help working people make ends meet. Having reached the first milestone of 10,000 signatures, we were deeply disappointed by the Government’s woefully inadequate response.
 
“They failed to engage with the evidence we provided and snubbed the petition. Usdaw’s research has shown that the so called ‘National Living Wage’ does not live up to its name. Our survey identified that 54% of low paid workers are
regularly having to miss meals just to pay the bills. The Conservatives need to understand they have created a perfect storm of low pay, insecurity and working poverty.
 
“So it was clear that we have to push on for the 100,000 signatures that would provide the opportunity for the petition to be debated in the House of Commons. Our aim is to persuade MPs to back £10 an hour and more secure contracts, which would boost minimum wage workers’ full-time pay by a much needed £2,640 a year.
 
“Usdaw’s ‘time for better pay’ campaign is calling on the Government to tackle low pay and insecure work. We need real and urgent improvements to workers’ rights to deliver an economy that works for all working people.”
 
Usdaw’s ‘Time for better pay’ campaign is calling on the Government to strengthen workers’ rights by introducing:

• A minimum wage rate of at least £10 per hour for all workers.
• Minimum contracts of 16 hours per week for everyone who wants one.
• Contracts based on an individual’s normal hours of work.
• An end to zero-hours contracts.

For more information: www.usdaw.org.uk/T4BP
 
Usdaw’s survey of over 10,000 working people about their experiences of low pay, short-hours contracts and insecure work shows that stronger employment rights are urgently needed:

• Over the past five years, 92% of those surveyed have seen no improvement in their financial situation.
• Over the past 12 months 76% of low-paid workers have had to rely on unsecured borrowing to pay everyday bills.
• 63% of people believe that financial worries are having an impact on their mental health.

Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 420,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
  
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion