Welfare Reform on the Web (November 2005): Minimum Wage - UK

Low pay: is it getting better under Labour?

M. Meacher

Working Brief, issue 168, 2005, p.10-11

The National Minimum Wage in the UK has been set too low to be effective in lifting the working poor out of poverty. Twenty-three per cent of UK employees are still low paid, with almost seven million earning less than £6.50 per hour. To be effective in alleviating poverty, the minimum wage needs to be lifted to £6.70 per hour to align with the Council of Europe Decency Threshold.