Scotland Leading the Way on Fair Pay
Graeme has welcomed the news that the Real Living Wage has increased from £12 to £12.60 across the UK from Wednesday 23rd October.
The Real Living Wage, which is based on the cost of living, is different to the UK Government’s minimum wage, often referred to as the ‘National Living Wage’.
Employers choose to pay the Real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay. A full-time worker earning the new Real Living Wage will earn £2,262 more a year than a worker earning the current government minimum wage.
The SNP Scottish Government has championed the Real Living Wage since becoming a Real Living Wage accredited employer in 2015. In Scotland, all organisations that receive grants from public bodies are legally required to pay the real Living Wage.
Because of these policies, Scotland now has around five times more accredited Real Living Wage employers than the rest of the UK – with nearly 90% of workers aged over 18 in Scotland being paid the real Living Wage or above.
The UK Government is not currently a real Living Wage accredited employer.
This increase to the Real Living Wage is welcome given soaring costs in recent years, and will be a boost to workers in Angus and across Scotland.
GRAEME
The Scottish Government has long championed the Real Living Wage and Scotland is leading the way on this front, with a significantly higher proportion of workers receiving at least this amount than anywhere else in the UK.
The SNP is committed to fair pay, as has also been seen in recent public sector settlements, and to the rights of workers.
With the SNP government having been a Living Wage accredited employer for almost a decade, it is surely time for its UK counterpart, under a nominal labour party, to follow suit.
