ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has warned the Labour party not to play politics with the Living Wage, as Jeremy Corbyn announced Labour would increase National Living wage to £10 per hour.
The policy would see the introduction of what Jeremy Corbyn calls the ‘Real Living Wage’, replacing the existing National Living Wage if Labour were to win a General Election in 2020.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Minimum wage rates must be delivered through an objective and comprehensive assessment of the facts by the Low Pay Commission. We do not believe that it is responsible for politicians to use the minimum wage and Living Wage rates as a bargaining tool for upcoming elections, as the uncertainty over costs for thousands of businesses could have a significant impact on employment plans and investment in the future.
“Retailers tell us that when the minimum wage is increased, they have to make tough choices in their business. As a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage at £7.20 an hour last year, 74% of convenience stores had to reduce the number of staff hours in their business and of those that have had to lay off staff altogether, 76% reported that this was as a result of increases to employment costs.”
A report from the Low Pay Commission in March showed that smaller businesses have been most heavily affected by the existing rates of the National Living Wage, with overall employment also falling in the North East, North West, the East of England and Scotland.
The Government have set a target for the National Living Wage to reach 60% of median earnings by 2020. This figure is currently predicted to be around £8.75 per hour by the end of the decade.
The current rates of the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage are available at http://www.minimum-wage.co.uk/
