8 Million To Get Wage Rise As Rishi Makes Work Pay

BUDGET BOOST Minimum wage up to £9.50 and public sector salary freeze ends

- Macer Hall Political Editor

You deserve it! Pay rises for 8million

MILLIONS are in line for a pay rise now the economy is bouncing back from the pandemic.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to make work pay by increasing the minimum wage to £9.50 and scrapping his public sector salary freeze.

An estimated 8 million workers, including more than five million nurses, teachers and police officers can look forward to receiving a salary hike next year. He also signalled an inflation-busting hike in the National Living Wage. The minimum hourly pay rate for employees aged over 23 will increase from £8.91 to £9.50.

Mr Sunak said: “The economic impact and uncertainty of the virus meant we had to take the difficult decision to pause public sector pay.

“Along with our Plan for Jobs, this action helped us protect livelihoods at the height of the pandemic.

“And now, with the economy firmly back on track, it’s right that nurses, teachers and all the other public sector workers who played their part during the pandemic see their wages rise.”

Mr Sunak’s one-year pay pause put tight restrictions on salary increases for millions on the state payroll following the huge pressure on Government coffers caused by the pandemic.

In his Budget and Spending Review tomorrow, the Chancellor will say that the pace of the economic recovery and encouraging signs in the jobs market will allow an end to the pay restraint.