New analysis by the TUC (Trades Union Congress) suggests that increasing the national minimum wage to £10 an hour would give 173,000 childcare workers a pay rise.
At the moment, the national minimum and national living wage is set at £8.91 per hour for workers aged 23 and over, £8.36 for those aged 21 to- 22 and £6.56 for workers aged 18 to- 20, while those under 18 receive £4.62. The rates are set to rise in April, but will still fall short of a minimum of £10 an hour for employees in the highest age bracket.
It shows that women (160,0000) and younger childcare workers across the UK would gain the most from the increase. Regionally, around one in four (23 per cent) of workers in the South East would benefit and around one in six (16 per cent) in the South West.
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