A CAMPAIGN for a living wage of £10 an hour has been launched after a new study found that some households had an annual disposable income of less than half of average earnings.
The GMB said Nottingham, Leicester and Blackburn had the lowest average disposable household income at £11,400, £11,540 and £11,580 respectively. The highest figure was in London at £21,400.
The union said at its national conference in Nottingham that a living wage of £10 an hour would free workers from having to use pay day loan ‘sharks’.
GMB national officer Jude Brimble said: “The cost of living crisis is about inadequate wages and hours. Britain needs a pay rise and enough hours of work to earn a decent living. “Zero hours contracts and a minimum wage that has become the maximum for millions has created a vast army of working poor.
“A £10-per-hour living wage would free our members from claiming benefits or pay day loan sharks. It would go some way to reversing inequality of income from work.”
The average disposable income, which counts spending money after taxes, is around £16,800 for the UK, said the GMB.
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