Over 250,000 people will get a pay rise this year with increase of real Living Wage rate

The real Living Wage rate is now £9.50 across the UK and £10.85 in London.

Since 2011, over £1.3 billion in extra wages has gone to low-paid workers thanks to the Living Wage movement, founded by members of Citizens UK. £800m of those extra wages have gone to people in key worker industries.

But research from the Living Wage Foundation shows that a fifth of employees - 5.5 million - are still paid under the real Living Wage [1] .

Over 800 more employers have become accredited with the Living Wage Foundation since the start of the pandemic . And this year alone nearly £200 million of those extra wages have gone to low-paid workers [2] .

Now, hundreds of thousands of workers will receive £1,500 in additional wages more than the Government’s current minimum. For full-time workers in London, this will rise to over £4,000. [3]

Oliver, a delivery rider at Living Wage accredited employer, e-cargobikes, said:

"Earning a Living Wage means I am able to support a household, including my partner, and takes a huge load from my shoulders.

To be employed by an organisation that not only treats people with respect but backs that up with decent pay means that I feel valued in a way that no other flexible work has provided.

T he psychological benefit of this will extend further than me and reminds me that I work for a company that sees further than the person as an employee, but also sees their capacity to contribute to wider society when treated fairly.”

Want to get involved? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram as we celebrate #LivingWageWeek2020 Find out how you can become an accredited Living Wage employer Read more about G reater Manchester Citizens and Manchester foodbank's open letter to Manchester Premier League clubs calling for them to pay their staff a real Living Wage

[1] A full report on the number and proportion of employee jobs paid below the Living Wage (and the methodology for calculating these) is available on demand.

[2] Analysis provided by Cardiff Business School (CBS). Total uplift (aggregate and year on year) for workers paid the real Living Wage is modelled according to different sectors, regional wage variations and full-time and part-time employees. CBS estimates around 130,000 workers in key industries have benefitted from the Living Wage campaign since 2011. An additional £350,000 has gone to Living Wage workers compared to last year.  

[3] These calculations are based on working for 37.5 hours a week, for 52 weeks. £9.50 x 37.5 x 52 = £18,525 for someone earning the real Living Wage and £21,157.50 for someone earning the London Living Wage of £10.85, compared to £17,004 for a full-time worker, over the age of 25 (and therefore eligible for the National Living Wage), earning the Government’s new National Living Wage rate of £ ;8.72.