Doctoral Researcher publishes article about Britain's minimum wage
George Wilson, a PhD student, discusses the forthcoming increase in the UK's minimum wage.
George Wilson, a PhD student, discusses the forthcoming increase in the UK's minimum wage.
George's article, entitled 'Britain's Broken Minimum Wage' is featured in the Huffington Post.
The increase in the minimum wage will be welcomed by workers on Wednesday. For those over 21 the pay will rise from £6.31 to £6.50 per hour. Wilson remarks, "with the second highest incidence of low pay amongst OECD members and twice the rate of some advance economies, a 19p rise will go little way towards achieving a low pay target of £8.60 per hour." The minimum wage is becoming a permanent feature of Britain's employment landscape.
"Coupled with labours decreasing wage share against capital, productivity outstripping real average earnings and wage increases failing to match inflation, it is perhaps not surprising that the minimum wage has become a political battleground."
Referring to earlier in the year Wilson highlights the calls made for a "studied increase in the minimum wage", by Vince Cable, Iain Duncan Smith and George Osborne alike. Ed Miliband took this a step further at last weeks Labour party conference, outlining proposals for an incremental increase to £8 per hour by 2020. "Arguments pro and contra each position are numerous: including the benefits of increasing aggregate demand and consumption, and the potential damaging effects increases might have on employment."
Wilson continues on to discuss the differences between countries in setting the minimum wage.
George's thesis: "The Future of Europe's Social Model: Can a Union-wide Minimum Wage Promote Closer Integration?", is supervised by Dr Jen Hendry.
