Minimum wage increase has disappointed retailers says BRC

 

The National Minimum Wage increase of 21 pence per hour has disappointed retailers who had hoped for an increase in line with inflation, according to the British Retail Consortium. NMW rose from £5.52 in March to £5.73, but the BRC says it had called for this year’s rise to be no more than the rate of inflation.


Stephen Robertson, the BRC’s Director General, said: “Retailers had to cope with a £2.7 billion hike in wage bills caused by the 2005 and 2006 above-inflation minimum wage increases. We are facing very difficult trading conditions, while energy prices, rents, rates, and service charges are all on the increase. We need an end to the annual uncertainty on minimum wage rates. There should be a real-terms freeze while the Low Pay Commission reviews future direction.”

 

For more information visit the BRC website here

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