Labours plans to raise minimum wage would give ‘pay rise to 130,000’

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said plans to increase the minimum wage would give at least 130,000 young Scots a pay rise.

Scottish Government statistics show 129,000 people aged between 18 and 24 earned less than the £8.25 real living wage last year.

The non-statutory real living wage is calculated each year by the independent Living Wage Foundation, which says it represents “what employees and their families need to live”.

Labour has pledged to increase the statutory mini- 0 Kezia Dugdale: Party wants minimum wage rise by 2020 mum wage of £7.50 per hour for over-25s to £10 an hour by 2020. The party also plans to scrap the lower youth rates of £5.60 for those aged 18-20 and £7.05 for 21- to 24-year-olds in favour of the single £10 rate.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “Labour’s real living wage of £10 an hour by 2020 would deliver a pay rise to millions across the UK and to at least 130,000 young people here in Scotland. That’s the difference you get with a Labour government.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scotland remains the best-performing of all the UK countries in terms of paying the living wage, with the highest proportion of employees paid the living wage or more – around 80 per cent – and we aim to have at least 1,000 accredited living wage employers by this autumn.”