Trade unions demand national minimum wage increase to £15 amid mass walkouts over pay
24 August 2022, 08:58
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for an increase of the national minimum wage to £15 to help Brits deal with the crippling cost of living crisis.
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TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said it was time workers saw their "fair share" of an increase after shareholder payouts went up.
It comes during a summer of industrial action as leading unions have raised frustrations over declines in pay amid soaring inflation.
"We've had promises time and time again from government ministers that we need a high wage economy and we agree but what we also need is a practical, sensible plan to get there," Ms O'Grady told LBC.
"We believe that we should start with the national minimum wage.
"Workers who are facing huge hikes in energy costs are really worried about how to pay for school uniforms and put food on the table and we want to set that ambition with a clear pathway to £15 an hour.
"We're very conscious that we've seen shareholder payouts go up by by 38%, top pay by 39%, it's time that workers had their fair share."
Read more: Inflation to hit 18% in January as fears grow over worsening cost of living crisis
TUC boss explains calls for £15 nat min wage
She added: "There's nearly two million people on the national minimum wage but what we're saying is people are facing a crisis in terms of their wages we've had over 10 years of wages stagnating.
"What we've seen in other countries - like Germany - is governments increasing the national minimum wage so those workers on poverty pay are more protected.
"And of course that benefits public finances because you pay out less in in-work benefits and get more tax into the exchequer to pay for public services so it's good for everyone."
Port workers at Felixstowe have already been on strike this week, with postal deliveries also set to be disrupted due to strikes by Royal Mail workers from the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
Meanwhile, rail strikes have caused travel chaos in recent months - organised by the RMT and TSSA - due to ongoing disputes over pay.
The TSSA has backed TUC's calls for a national minimum wage increase, with General Secretary Manuel Cortes saying: "It's a scandal that so many people in work in 21st century Britain have to top up their wages with benefits."
