National living wage.

[Consumer dude]

From today, national living wage pays £7.20 an hour, wow, think of what you could do with the money..

[BankFodder]

It may not sound like very much but I bet that there are a huge number of people who are really pleased to have it and there are probably a huge number of people who don't have anything at all

[Sparks_]

Like us on disability benefits that have not had a rise and no rise for next few years!

[Consumer dude]

What I don't get is £7.20 is not an actual living wage as benefits are often needed to top up to what the law says is required live on..

[lostfaith]

Do firms have to pay law now or if they don't do they break law

[honeybee13]

Hello lostfaith. This is from a website about the living wage and employers' obligations.

 

Do employers have to pay the Living Wage rates by law?

 

 

 

The Living Wage is a voluntary higher rate of base pay. It provides a benchmark for responsible employers who choose to pay more than the National Minimum Wage.

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.livingwage.org.uk/faq

 

HB

[Fedupandfightingback]

https://www.livingwage.gov.uk/

 

The Government’s new National Living Wage is now law.

 

If you’re working and aged 25 or over and not in the first year of an apprenticeship, you are legally entitled to at least £7.20 per hour. That’s an extra fifty pence per hour. The Government is committed to increasing this every year.

 

If you’re an employer, you’ll need to make sure you’re paying your staff correctly, as the National Living Wage will be enforced as strongly as the current National Minimum Wage.

 

 

[postmn]

and wait for the law of unintended consequences . one business said yes it will cost us say £4000 in direct cost but then the indrect costs from people higher up the scale waiting to maintain the % difference will add ten time that .

[Guest topcat14]

This thread has gone slighty off track.

 

For clarity to future readers

 

It is the National Living Wage of £7.20 for over 25's that came into force on 1st April and NOT the Living Wage which is higher and also voluntary as recommended by the campaigning body.

[Fedupandfightingback]

This thread has gone slighty off track.

 

For clarity to future readers

 

It is the National Living Wage of £7.20 for over 25's that came into force on 1st April and NOT the Living Wage which is higher and also voluntary as recommended by the campaigning body.

 

 

I thought there might have been some confusion over the two.

 

 

Currently the UK Living Wage is £8.25 an hour

The London Living Wage is £9.40 an hour

 

 

http://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-living-wage

 

 

The National Living Wage mooted by the Government which became Law on 1st April is £7.20 - so you can see there is still a huge gap between these.

[Fedupandfightingback]

In 1966 my very first wage packet was £7.10 shillings a week.

 

 

I took early retirement in 1998 - my salary at that time was £26,000 for the year.

 

 

It would be interesting to compare living costs from both those periods in time to now.

 

 

If someone today was working say, 35 hours a week using the new government wage structure, they would earn approximately £13,000.

 

 

Before tax and NI was deducted.

[Guest topcat14]

Just thought I would add a caveat to this thread so that it may put some employees minds at rest.

 

The NLW is to be paid from the first FULL PAY REFERENCE PERIOD after 1st April.

 

So if you are paid today for hours worked from 28th of March to 1st April your employer does not have to pay the NLW until the next pay period which includes the hours which you have worked all in April.