The “Real Living Wage” is set to increase by 2.8% this week to £9 an hour.
For the 180,000 staff whose employers have signed up to the voluntary wage, the minimum wage will increase by 25p.
The Real Living Wage is not the same as the National Living Wage, which is currently £7.83 for those over 25.
The organisation’s director, Tess Lanning said: “The Living Wage campaign is about tackling the rising problem of people paid less than they need to live.”
“Responsible businesses know that the government minimum is not enough to live on, and today’s new Living Wage rates will provide a boost for hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the UK,” she added.
Approximately 4,700 employers in the UK have signed up to the agreement, including Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Aviva (LON: AV) and Ikea.
“Employers that pay the real Living Wage enable their workers to live a life of dignity, supporting them to pay off debts and meet the pressures of rising bills,” said Lanning.
“We want to see local councils, universities, football clubs, bus companies and the other major public and private sector employers in every city commit to become real Living Wage employers.”
Philip Hammond’s Autumn budget speech announced plans to increase the minimum wage almost 5% next year, taking it to £8.21.
“We will want to be ambitious with the ultimate objective of ending low pay in the UK,” said Hammond.
“But we will also want to be careful – protecting employment for lower paid workers. So we will engage responsibly with employers, the TUC and the LPC itself over the coming months, gathering evidence and views to ensure we get this right.”
