LABOUR MPs Peter Pike and Gordon Prentice have welcomed the 40p-an-hour rise in the minimum wage, which will give low-paid workers up to £16 extra a week.

They are predicting that tens of thousands of full and part-time workers in East Lancashire will be better off because of the rise, which takes effect from October 1.

And now Burnley's Peter Pike is urging the government to build on the minimum wage by urging employers who can afford to pay more to do so.

He told Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers, when he announced the 11 per cent increase to the Commons: "There is one further thing that we should do in relation to the minimum wage: we should recognise that many employees are worth a lot more than the minimum.

"We must urge employers who can afford to pay more not to rest on the floor on the minimum wage. When they can pay more and their workers deserve more, we should ensure that a fair wage is paid."

Mr Byers replied: "It is to be hoped that individuals who merit the higher wage will receive proper rewards, but I am pleased that thousands of hard-working people in Burnley will benefit from today's announcement."

Pendle's Gordon Prentice said: "The latest increase means a worker earning the national minimum wage and working 25 hours a week will be £10 a week better off."