Labour pledges to increase salaries by more than £1000

Scottish Labour has claimed workers in Scotland could see their annual salaries rise by more than £1000 under their proposals to introduce a real living wage.

The party suggests the move would mean that all workers over the age of 16 across the country would receive a salary of at least £10 an hour by 2020.

In the UK, the current national living wage is set at £8.21 per hour for those aged 25 and older, whilst the national minimum wage stands at £7.70 per hour for 21-24-year-olds.

For those aged between 18 and 20, the minimum wage is £6.15 an hour, and for those under the age of 18 it is £4.35 an hour.

According to House of Commons research provided to the party, Labour estimates that around 700,000 workers could benefit from the potential salary boost – working out at an additional £1193 per worker based on an average hourly salary of £9.10.

The party also indicates that the move could generate at least £848m for the Scottish economy.

On the first day of a three-day visit to Scotland on Thursday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited Royal Mail workers in Bo’ness to discuss their campaign with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to earn a real living wage.

Mr Corbyn said: “Across Scotland there are hard-working people who are still struggling to make ends meet. Under the Conservatives, we’ve seen wages stagnate while the cost of living rises.

“This is why under Labour, we’d scrap the minimum wage and replace it with a proper real living wage, making sure that people’s pay packets reflect the actual cost of things we all need to survive.

“Scottish workers deserve a pay rise. A Labour government can end the scandal of low pay being imposed on working people, and elevate them to a decent and deserved standard of living.”