Mackay welcomes Living Wage rise

Renfrewshire North & West MSP Derek Mackay has welcomed the new Living Wage rate and has urged more Renfrewshire employers to become accredited.

The Living Wage increased by 30 pence per hour, to £8.75 with the uplift expecting to see hundreds of local people benefiting from higher wages to help meet the increasing cost of living.

Mr Mackay was speaking at the start of this year’s Living Wage Week

Living Wage Week takes place each year during the first week of November. The week is a UK-wide celebration of the Living Wage and Living Wage Employers.

This year Living Wage Week begins on Sunday 5^th November and runs to Saturday 10^th November.

SNP MSP Derek Mackay said:

“This increase in the Living Wage is good news for hundreds of people locally.

“Living Wage week is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the Living Wage, and I hope as many local employers sign up as accredited Living Wage Employers as possible.

“People who go out and do a hard day’s work should not be left struggling to pay the bills and this new Living Wage of £8.75 announced today will be a welcome pay rise for hundreds of people across Renfrewshire.

“With low pay as one of the main drivers of poverty, it is vital that employers who can pay the Living Wage do so.

“And I want to see businesses implement the new Living Wage as soon as possible, it makes sense for businesses – it’s an investment in people, it leads to increased productivity and reduces staff turnover.”