Commenting on the announcement by the Government today (Thursday) that it has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) on new rates for the national minimum wage (NMW) TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
‘The TUC welcomes the rise in the adult minimum wage rate from £5.80 to £5.93 from October 2010. This is a relatively modest increase which the evidence shows employers can afford.
‘We are pleased to see confirmation that the age of eligibility for the adult rate of the minimum wage will fall from 22 to 21 from October this year. This will be a significant benefit for the 40,000 21 year olds in minimum wage jobs.
‘It is also good news that the apprentices who are currently exempt from the minimum wage will now be brought into the minimum wage framework with a new apprentice rate.
‘Most apprenticeships deliver high quality training and pay decent rates. But a minority of low quality, low pay employers have crept into the sector. In fact, more than one in ten (11.4 per cent) of apprentices are currently paid less than the proposed rate of £2.50 an hour. Although the new minimum rate is a modest one it will end the worst cases of exploitation.’