Aberdeenshire MSP welcomes real Living Wage increase
An increase to the real Living Wage has been welcomed.
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 £2262 more a year than a worker earning the current government minimum wage.
It has risen from £12 to £12.60 an hour.
The 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 per cent 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.
Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin said: “After sky-high increases in the cost of living over the past few years, this will be a welcome boost for workers here in Aberdeenshire, and across Scotland.
“The Scottish Government has been a champion for the real Living Wage since 2015, when we became a real Living Wage accredited employer, and we’ve since made it a legal requirement for all organisations receiving grant funding from a public body to pay the real Living Wage.
“This has made a real difference here in Aberdeenshire, and across Scotland, which has the highest proportion of workers being paid the real Living Wage or above anywhere in the UK.
“However, while both Scottish and Welsh Governments are accredited Living Wage employers, the UK government currently is not.
“I’d urge the new Labour UK government to put its money where its mouth is on workers' rights and follow the Scottish Government’s example by implementing the real Living Wage in their own Government.”