In the UK, the minimum wage will be increased by a record 9.8% – Kommersant

British government announced on increasing the minimum wage (minimum wage) by 9.8% from April 2024. The decision was taken by the UK Treasury based on recommendations from the Pay Commission amid an ongoing cost of living crisis with inflation at 11.1%, the highest in 40 years.

From April next year, the minimum wage will increase by £1.04 and amount to £11.44 (RUB 1,255) per hour for working citizens aged 23 years and over. With an 8-hour working day, the number of working hours per month is 160. This is a record one-time increase in the minimum wage in the UK for all time. Thus, the pay of a full-time Briton will increase by £1,800 per year.

At the same time, according to the decision of the UK Ministry of Finance, for the first time the minimum wage in full, that is, £11.44, will apply to working Britons aged 21-22 years (now they receive £10.18 per hour). Thus, for workers in this age category, the minimum wage will increase by 12.4%, and wages for such Britons will be £2.3 thousand more per year. In addition, the minimum wage for the age category 16–17 years is increased by 21.2%, to £6.4 per hour, and for the age category 18–20 years old – by 14.8%, to £8.6 per hour. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said that from April next year the country will “end low pay”. The head of the British Trade Union Congress, which unites 65 trade unions in the country, Paul Novak welcomed the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage, emphasizing the involvement of trade unions in this event. However, according to Mr. Novak, it is necessary to increase the minimum wage to £15 per hour “as soon as possible”, taking into account inflation.

Alena Miklashevskaya