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Life on the ‘living wage’
Work simply does not pay for too many millions of workers on insecure and low-paid contracts, says MARTIN SMITH

THIS November sees the latest in a series of “living wage” weeks where the charities, academics and financial institutions behind the Living Wage Foundation reveal to a waiting world their opinion on what we can live on in 2015.

In June the new Chancellor gave us his opinion of the wage he thinks we should live on when he cut tax credits by up to £24 per week from next April for the working poor to be paid for by the new “national living wage.” This idea has been passed into law this week.

GMB launched a Life on the Living Wage survey of its members earlier this year. We wanted to know more about the stories behind the competing “living wage” rates.

  • Martin Smith is national organiser at GMB.
  • 24 per cent regularly use a pay day loan company to get by.
  • 90 per cent regularly borrow from family or friends to make ends meet.
  • 83 per cent are unable to save money for a holiday or an emergency at home.
  • 38 per cent support children or relatives living with them as they can’t afford to live on their own.
  • 36 per cent have missed a rent or mortgage payment at least once recently.
  • 30 per cent pay their utility bills on a meter key card.
  • 50 per cent regularly seek extra hours to top up their pay.
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