Workers across the UK are set to receive a pay rise after rates were increased for the Real Living Wage, Press Association reports.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary rate paid by thousands of employers.
The new hourly rate will be £11.05 in London and £9.90 outside the capital. This is an increase of 20p and 40p respectively.
The Living Wage Foundation sets the rates and has said that almost 9000 employers in the UK now pay the wage.
The rate is higher than the statutory National Living Wage which is £8.91 an hour for adults currently. This will rise to £9.50 in April.
Workers paid the higher rate have benefitted from more than £1.6 billion in extra wages since the foundation launched its campaign 20 years ago.
As living costs rise so rapidly, the new rate will provide hundreds of thousands of workers more stability.
The foundation announced that new employers signing up to pay the higher rates include construction firms Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes, Fujitsu, food delivery company Getir, and Capita.
More than 3,000 employers have been accredited with the Living Wage Foundation since the start of the pandemic.
The foundation said 4.8 million jobs still pay less than the Real Living Wage.
Katherine Chapman, Living Wage Foundation Director, said: “With living costs rising so rapidly, today’s new Living Wage rates will provide hundreds of thousands of workers and their families with greater security and stability.
It’s #LivingWageWeek 🎉 We’re celebrating the hundreds of thousands of low paid workers who have received a pay rise because of the #LivingWage movement.
— Living Wage Foundation (@LivingWageUK) November 15, 2021
Join our movement: https://t.co/bLCUe2C54o pic.twitter.com/ApniI2HSuA
“For the past 20 years, the Living Wage movement has shaped the debate on low pay, showing what is possible when responsible employers step up and provide a wage that delivers dignity.
“Despite this, there are still millions trapped in working poverty, struggling to keep their heads above water and these are people working in jobs that kept society going during the pandemic like social care workers and cleaners.”
The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, said: “The principle behind the campaign for better pay and secure working conditions ought to be a pillar of our new society, and one I hope will be adopted by even more forward-thinking businesses as we look ahead to 2022.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The Government is determined to make work pay, having recently announced a significant rise in the National Living Wage from April 2022, to £9.50 an hour – the biggest increase since its introduction. We have also committed to further increases to the National Living Wage, to reach two thirds of average earnings by 2024.
“The minimum wages are a legal minimum, and we commend employers who are able to pay more, when they can afford to do so.
“We are committed to going even further to support workers, pushing ahead with plans to include a new right for all workers to request a more predictable contract from their employers, giving individuals the security they need.”
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