- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increases will put more money in the pockets of 2,600 of the lowest paid workers in Carmarthenshire.
- The UK Labour Government is raising wages for up to 150,000 people in Wales, boosting living standards and kickstarting growth.
- Real-terms pay rise will boost wages by £1,400 per year for an eligible full-time worker, while the apprentice rate goes up by 18%.
- For 18-20 year olds it will mean up to £2,500 a year more.
Workers across Wales, including around 2,600 across Carmarthenshire, have received a pay rise today as the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect.
Action from the UK Labour Government means full-time workers on the National Living Wage will see a real-terms pay increase of £1,400 per year, helping to provide families with better financial stability, improve living standards and kickstart growth.
This uplift will deliver security for working people and ease the pressure on their day-to[1]day finances. It also allows for further workers to potentially benefit from positive spill-over impacts including possible wage increases for those already earning more than the legal minimum.
This year is also the first year where the Low Pay Commission, the body which recommends wage rates, was instructed to include the cost of living and inflation in its assessment.
On top of this, the Employment Rights Bill, a key pillar in the Plan to Make Work Pay, will release an additional £600 a year to some of the lowest paid workers. This will ensure that these workers receive an uplift to wages that delivers better quality of life.
Dame Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli, said:
“I am proud to be part of a UK Labour government will raise wages for approximately 2,600 people across Carmarthenshire, which include many in my own constituency Llanelli.
“I have been backing the Labour UK government’s plans to increase wages and give more people in Wales the opportunity of well paid, secure work and today will see many of the lowest paid workers benefitting from a well-deserved increase in pay.
“For someone in Llanelli working full time on the National Living Wage, these changes mean a £1,400 pay rise. For local apprentices, it will mean a pay rise of 18%, a real vote of confidence in the next generation of workers too.”
Payslip boost for millions as new minimum wage rates take effect – GOV.UK