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29.10.2024 / News /

Check if you are earning the Living Wage. New rates have been announced!

The ‘Real’ Living Wage and the Minimum Wage: Two inadequate rates

The “Real” Living Wage has increased again in October 2024, with new rates set at £13.85 per hour in London and £12.60 per hour outside of London. These rates, calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, reflect the minimum income necessary to cover basic costs like food, housing, and other essentials. While the government has also announced an increase of the national minimum wage to £12.21 per hour for all adults over 18 starting in April 2025, this pitiful rise is nothing short of disappointing. It fails to keep pace with the soaring costs of living, leaving many low-paid and precarious workers struggling to make ends meet. It’s time to condemn it and fight for more.

The government’s minimum wage, which it refers to as the National Living Wage, currently sits at just a meagre £11.44 per hour for adults over 21. No matter how you look at it it is a poverty wage.

Petros Elia, general secretary of UVW, said: “The minimum wage rise to £12.21 p/hr for over 21s (from April 2025) is nothing to celebrate. It is not an example of “making work pay”, it is an example of “making workers pay” for their bosses’ profits. The union movement and beyond should be up in arms that over a million workers have just been told not only that they will be forced to endure poverty wages for another year, but that they should be happy about it too!”

The “Real” Living Wage is a voluntary benchmark, meaning employers are not legally obligated to pay it. However, those participating in the Living Wage scheme are encouraged to adopt the new rates within six months, with a deadline set for April 2025. For many low-paid workers, especially those in essential services or other low-wage sectors, even this latest increase may still fall short of what is truly needed to live with dignity.

If you find yourself earning less than these new rates, you’re not alone.

Now is the time to organise and demand fairer wages. Are you ready to fight for what you’re worth? Join us or get in touch to learn how you can take action. We can fight together for a living wage that truly reflects the cost of living.

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