Living wage won't tackle inequality
Thursday 15 November 2012
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EmailThe wealthiest 1 per cent in British society earned an hourly average of £61.10 in 2011, equating to £135,666 a year and a 117 per cent rise in real terms since 1986.
In stark contrast, the lowest 10 per cent of workers saw a pay increase of only 47 per cent since 1986, to roughly £7.01 an hour or £15,565 a year.
The Office of National Statistics found that the largest wage inequality was in London with top earners' wages over 16 times higher than the lowest.
Calls for a national legal living wage are commendable but with an expected £600 billion deficit by 2015 it is clear that reactionary justifications behind the austerity agenda are becoming irrelevant.
A more radical alternative moving beyond capitalism is more necessary than ever.
Daniel Pitt
Mountain Ash
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