More employers have to sign up to the Living Wage to help large numbers of families out of breadline existences, shadow minister Rachel Reeves has claimed.
Ms Reeves, Labour minister for work and pensions, said the current Living Wage of £7.85 an hour had so far attracted a total of 1,109 海角视频 employers. But more organisations needed to subscribe to keep households above the poverty line.
In a visit to Birmingham’s Unity Trust Bank, the first bank in the 海角视频 to sign up to the Living Wage, Ms Reeves said: “Most of us take it for granted but for a lot of people on low pay money is so, so tight.
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“The Unity Trust Bank is the first bank in the 海角视频 to be accredited a Living Wage employer. We now need more employers to sign up to be Living Wage employers.
“There are many, many people in the 海角视频 working incredibly hard, sometimes getting up at 4am in the morning to be able to do two or three jobs to help support themselves and their families.
“We have also seen local authorities such as Birmingham City Council accredited Living Wage employers, putting money back into the British economy. If we get elected in May, we will encourage more firms to become Living Wage employers.
“We are saying that if you move your staff from the Minimum Wage to the Living Wage, we would share the costs with the employers. The number of employers accredited to the Living Wage is not huge, it is 1,109 and we want to increase that.”
Peter Kelly, business development and marketing director at the Unity Trust Bank, said: “We became the first bank to be accredited Living Wage in April 2013, and almost all the banks in the 海角视频 have followed our lead now.
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“What is important is to find ways to encourage more organisations to sign up to the Living Wage. It gives people a decent wage, the minimum wage does not allow people to have a decent standard of living. For us, it is very important, it resonates well with our customers, with our staff and with the trade unions.”
Meanwhile, on forthcoming Pensions Freedom for over-55s to be introduced in April, Ms Reeves said: “For some people, taking the money as cash could be the right thing, although you could end up with a big tax bill.
“We need to ensure that people get the advice and information they need rather than being ripped off by scams.”