Low paid workers in Gloucester should get a £2,500 a year boost, say city leaders.
Gloucester City Council is to encourage employers to adopt the national living wage of £7.45 an hour.
Labour group leader Councillor Kate Haigh (Labour, Matson and Robinswood) said the council's commitment to pay it should extend to other city firms and Gloucester City Council contractors.
"It has benefits for the local economy in that money is spent in local shops and businesses," she said at the council's full meeting on Thursday. "It is a step towards fairness for those who work hard to support themselves and their families.
"For women it helps to reduce pay inequalities. Employers who pay the living wage report increased productivity, decreased staff turnover and fewer staff problems."
The national minimum wage is £6.19 an hour, which means a worker doing a 37.5 hour week earns just over £12,000 but the living wage figure bumps that up by £2,500 a year.
The motion was voted through unanimously.
For more on this story, see tomorrow's Citizen
Gloucester City Council is to encourage employers to adopt the national living wage of £7.45 an hour.
Labour group leader Councillor Kate Haigh (Labour, Matson and Robinswood) said the council's commitment to pay it should extend to other city firms and Gloucester City Council contractors.
"It has benefits for the local economy in that money is spent in local shops and businesses," she said at the council's full meeting on Thursday. "It is a step towards fairness for those who work hard to support themselves and their families.
"For women it helps to reduce pay inequalities. Employers who pay the living wage report increased productivity, decreased staff turnover and fewer staff problems."
The national minimum wage is £6.19 an hour, which means a worker doing a 37.5 hour week earns just over £12,000 but the living wage figure bumps that up by £2,500 a year.
The motion was voted through unanimously.
For more on this story, see tomorrow's Citizen