Top City investors urge UK firms to pay living wage November 28, 2019 Some of the City’s biggest investors have written to the chief executives of companies including Just Eat, British Airways, and Royal Mail urging them to pay the so-called real living wage. The letter, published today, outlines a growing business case for the living wage, arguing that it can boost productivity, reduce staff turnover and improve [...]
General Election 2019: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn go head-to-head in ITV leaders’ debate November 19, 2019 This story is being updated live, please hit enter to refresh regularly. 8:55pm Corbyn is now wrapping up – telling voters this is “a once in a generation” opportunity to vote for change. Johnson says it is the chance to “get Brexit done”, and that Corbyn having failed to answer questions about a second Brexit [...]
Lidl brings hourly pay rate in line with living wage November 19, 2019 More than 19,000 Lidl employees across the UK are set to get a pay rise as the supermarket brings its hourly rate in line with the living wage. Entry-level pay will rise from £9 to £9.30 per hour in stores outside of London and from £10.55 to £10.75 per hour within the M25 to meet [...]
Number with wages set by Whitehall could treble after election November 15, 2019 The proportion of workers paid the minimum wage would treble under Labour’s plans and double under the Tories, a report has found, causing a dramatic increase in the number whose pay is set directly by Whitehall. The Conservatives have pledged to raise the so-called national living wage to around £10.50 by 2024 and extend it [...]
The vote-winning power of tax cuts November 12, 2019 As theGeneral Election clunks into gear, it’s already clear what Labour’s approach will be: promise to spend literally all the money. The Tories put out a dossier at the weekend costing the opposition’s pledges at a jaw-dropping £1.2 trillion. You can quibble with the detail, but it’s pretty clear that under John McDonnell’s guidance, the [...]
More than 200,000 UK workers get Christmas pay rise in line with real living wage November 11, 2019 More than 200,000 employees from major UK companies are set for a pre-Christmas pay rise thanks to the “real living wage” campaign. Businesses signed up to the campaign will raise its London employees’ hourly wages by 20p to £10.75. Read more: Sajid Javid promises to increase nationa living wage to £10.50 Meanwhile, the hourly rate [...]
Keep an eye on these shares during General Election November 8, 2019 The UK is holding a general election on 12 December. All the political parties are keen to return discussion to domestic policies after years of neglect because of Brexit, but the UK’s proposed departure from the EU will continue to dominate the debate. Still, whichever party wins (or parties, if it results in a hung parliament) [...]
Changing the childcare system is the answer to closing the gender pension gap November 7, 2019 The average monthly cost of childcare in the UK is more than the cost of the average mortgage, which serves as a stark reminder of the financial burden facing many families. Childcare costs can be so enormous that it often makes financial sense for one parent to take a career break or work part-time to [...]
Tories unveil domestic policy pledges ahead of election November 4, 2019 The Conservative Party has announced four domestic policies on low pay, prisons, police and education as it gears up for a general election next month. The policy pledges included an independent review backing plans for an increase to the national living wage and investment at seven prisons to help reduce drug smuggling and the use [...]
Jobs paying below ‘real living wage’ fall to seven-year low November 4, 2019 The proportion of jobs that pay below the so-called real living wage has fallen to a seven-year low, analysis by professional services firm KPMG showed today. Read more: Sajid Javid promises to increase national living wage to £10.50 This year, 19 per cent of UK jobs paid below the voluntary rate of £9.00 per hour [...]