Boost minimum wage for young workers, Labour says
The Labour Party has revealed plans to abolish the lower minimum wage for those under 18 as it aims to hike the salaries of all of the lowest paid to at least £10 an hour.
The new hike would more than double what employers have to pay to their under-18 employees, who currently get a minimum of £4.35 an hour. Labour has already suggested the rise for those over 25 who are now paid at least £8.21.
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But a potential Labour government would increase both minimum figures to £10 in 2020, Jeremy Corbyn is set to say today, the BBC reported.
It will give young full-time workers a £2,500 boost to their paychecks each year, Corbyn is expected to say.
“Equal pay for equal work is hardly a controversial idea, so why are we discriminating against young people?,” he will tell his party colleagues.
“You don't get a discount at the shops for being under 18.
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“But if the person serving you on the other side of the counter is young, they could be on half the wage of their colleagues.
“It’s time to end this discrimination. Young people's work should be properly valued, not exploited by employers to cut their wage bill. If they're doing the job, pay them the wage – the real living wage.”