Low pay in government
Thousands of workers across central government are paid less than the voluntary Living Wage, new figures have revealed in responses to an MP's parliamentary written questions.
Answering questions from Labour MP Frank Field, government departments revealed more than 3,000 in-house, outsourced and agency staff were paid below the Living Wage Foundation's recommended £8.25 an hour or £9.40 in London.
The replies, which are unlikely to reveal the full extent of the problem, included:
• 1,272 staff employed in the Ministry of Defence and its agencies paid below the Living Wage;
• 913 workers at the Ministry of Justice;
• 490 at the National Offender Management Service; and
• 111 outsourced staff in the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The PCS civil service union said the figures underline just how low pay is across government and its contractors — made worse by six years of pay freezes and caps.
The answers also revealed that more than 100 staff were employed on zero-hours contracts.