The Trades Union Congress has told the government to press ahead with inflation-busting rises in the national living wage.
Frances O’Grady, the TUC’s general secretary, said that it would be “morally wrong” if the government did not follow through with plans to raise the national living wage from £8.72 to £9.21 an hour from April next year.
The Low Pay Commission, which recommends minimum wage rates for the government, is said to be reconsidering its recommendation, made in March, because the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on jobs.
Payroll numbers fell by 750,000 between March and July, according to the Office for National Statistics, and economists fear that headline unemployment may rise by two million as the furlough scheme ends in October.
Speaking before