Those employers who can afford it should pay a living wage, says TUC

Welcoming the findings of the interim report from the Living Wage Commission – Working for Poverty – published today (Monday) which says that the UK’s economic recovery is likely to fail one in five workers, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The UK economy may be in recovery mode, but most people’s pay packets have yet to experience a similar revival. For those families firmly stuck in low-pay Britain, life is tough, and they continue to struggle to make their wages stretch far enough to meet the cost of food, fuel and other essentials. “Low pay is blighting the prospects of millions of workers, and we need urgent action to tackle the UK’s serious, and worsening, low-pay problem. “One way of easing the financial pressures on low-paid families would be for more employers to pay the living wage. Across the country, there are many companies and organisations which could afford to do so, yet they continue to pay their staff poverty wages. “If the recovery is to be one experienced by everyone in the UK, ending the squeeze on incomes and boosting pay – especially for those on low incomes – is essential. As this report shows there are many people in Britain who very definitely need a pay rise.” For information - The Living Wage Commission is a 12-month independent inquiry into the future of the living wage. The Commission will be looking at the opportunities and barriers around the living wage and what potential there is for an increase in coverage that might address the rise of low pay and working poverty in the UK. - The Living Wage Commission is chaired by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and includes Frances O’Grady, Adam Marshall (Director of Policy & External Affairs, British Chambers of Commerce), Victoria Winckler (Director, Bevan Foundation), Sir Stuart Etherington (Chief Executive, NCVO), Kate Pickett (Co-author, The Spirit Level; Co-founder of the Equality Trust), Guy Stallard (UK Head of Facilities, KPMG) and Wendy Bond (low-paid worker representative).