Minimum wage rise

The government has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission, the independent body that advises the government on the National Minimum Wage, that the adult rate should increase by 3% on 1 October, from £6.31 to £6.50 an hour (see Fact Service, issue 9).

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said that the rise "must be seen as only the first step in a series of bolder increases in future years that will help the many low-paid workers — who are suffering the tightest squeeze in their living standards in a century."

www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-response-to-low-pay-commission-2014-report

www.tuc.org.uk/economic-issues/tuc-welcomes-minimum-wage-increase