Fair day’s pay

Unite welcomed today’s (September 26) commitment from the shadow chancellor John McDonnell, that a Labour government would address poverty pay by putting a real living wage into law, which is forecasted to be over £10 per hour.

Welcoming the announcement Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said, “This will be music to the ears of the millions of low paid workers who are getting poorer under this government. They can see now that only Labour is the only party that is serious about making work pay in this country.

“The Conservative’s national living wage is a con – a few cursory pennies more than the minimum wage. It is an utter insult to working people,” he added. “But John McDonnell’s announcement today makes it abundantly clear that Labour will challenge head on the insecure, undignified world of employment that Tory policies have fostered.

“We have to get back to a situation where a fair day’s work is respected with a fair day’s pay,” McCluskey noted. “The people who keep our economy moving, care for our elderly, sick and our children, clean our streets, serve in our shops – the millions of people who are the backbone of our nation – are paid enough to enjoy the decent life they deserve.”