1 April 2009 marks the tenth anniversary of a National Minimum Wage in the UK. The Low Pay Commission was established in 1997 and proposed the structure and rate for the National Minimum Wage, which was implemented on 1 April 1999. Since then, the Low Pay Commission has produced seven more reports, recommending successive increases in the National Minimum Wage, all of which have been accepted and implemented by the Government.
Commenting on the tenth anniversary, George Bain, Chairman of the Low Pay Commission, said:
At its introduction, many predicted that the minimum wage would cause unemployment and wage inflation. Instead, to borrow a headline of the time, it was more a case of ‘minimum wage, minimum fuss’. Having helped millions of workers through its first decade, the minimum wage now faces the challenge of its first recession. I feel confident that the Low Pay Commission will rise to this challenge, ensuring that the minimum wage continues to provide a wage floor to protect low-paid workers, while enabling a strong economic future for the United Kingdom.
The National Minimum Wage for those over 21 is £5.73 per hour. For those aged 18 to 21 the rate is £4.77 per hour. The minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds is £3.53 an hour.
Source:
COI ref 172502P
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=397347&NewsAreaID=2
