The Scottish Grocers Federation is calling on whichever parties form the next UK government to prioritise holding down any future increases in the rate of the national living wage.
SGF has said that the new government should abandon the target of a rise to 60% of median earnings by 2020.
SGF’s Head of Policy Dr John Lee (pictured) commented: “Retailers are suffering from the cumulative impact of cost increases. The national living wage has fallen most heavily on the retail sector with over half a million workers being effected and these constantly increasing staff costs must end. We need a national living wage that reflects underlying economic conditions and the ability of different industry sectors to absorb increased staff costs.”
SGF has recently engaged directly with the senior team from the Low Pay Commission (LPC) including the Chief Economist. SGF’s evidence will feed into the LPC’s report to the new Prime Minister later this year.
