The LPC is continuing its annual consultation process ahead of making recommendations to the Government this autumn about the new minimum wage rates, which are expected to come into force on 1 April 2026.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We welcome the opportunity to give evidence to the Low Pay Commission, ahead of providing them with Usdaw’s written submission. Commissioners will hear first-hand that too many workers are still struggling with the cost of living, despite this year’s record increases in minimum wage rates, which were very welcome and much needed.
“We are calling on the Low Pay Commission to continue to be ambitious with this year’s recommendation, setting a clear path towards £15 per hour for all workers and ending rip-off youth rates. They have the opportunity to deliver that because one of the first acts of the new Labour Government was to task the LPC with eliminating age-related pay for over-18s and take into account the cost of living when setting rates, to make the so-called ‘national living wage’ a real living wage.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
Low Pay Commission: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/low-pay-commission
Low Pay Commission regional visits 2025: https://minimumwage.blog.gov.uk/2025/01/17/low-pay-commission-regional-visits-2025/
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion