Tom Gordon
Scottish Political Editor
THE SNP last night called on the Tory government at Westminster to "follow Scotland's lead" and pay all of its staff the living wage.
The Scottish Government last week became an officially accredited living wage employer, joining around 200 businesses and groups paying its workers at least £7.85 an hour.
It was the first of the four governments in the UK to do so.
Calculated at £9.15 an hour in London and £7.85 in the rest of the UK, the living wage is higher than the statutory minimum wage and is designed to reflect "the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day's work with a fair day's pay".
Research suggests employers paying the wage enjoy better staff retention and productivity.
Some arms of the UK government already pay it, including the Department of Energy and Climate Change, but others, such as the Treasury, do not.
The House of Commons and House of Lords are also living wage employers.
Despite Chancellor George Osborne spelling out yet more austerity cuts last week, Hannah Bardell, the SNP's spokeswoman on Fair Work and Employment, urged the Tory government to pay its workers a living wage and boost the economy.
The Livingston MP said: "We are calling on the UK Government to follow Scotland's lead on this important issue and publicly commit to adopting this policy for its employees in all corners of the UK.
"Earlier this week a report from the OECD pointed out that rising income inequality is a barrier to sustainable economic growth.
"Paying all UK Government employees at least the Living Wage could not only boost the economy - but also provide a much needed boost to those facing in-work poverty at the hands of the unfair Tory cuts agenda.
"George Osborne's unacceptable announcement of £170 million further cuts to Scotland's budget this year will pile more pressure on working families.
"We will push the UK Government to implement the Living Wage to help those already bearing the brunt of five years of slash-and-burn Tory cuts."
Peter Kelly of the Poverty Alliance, which runs the accreditation scheme, said: "The Living Wage is an important tool in helping lift people out of poverty and we are celebrating that the Scottish Government has chosen to lead by example."
A Westminster source said many Whitehall departments were already in the process of being accredited for the living wage.
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