Leading charity responds to Government announcement about the minimum wage
25.02.05

'CPAG welcomes today's announcement of an increase to the national minimum wage. At the moment half of the poor children in Great Britain live in households where one or more adults are in work. For paid work to be an effective route out of poverty, employers must be made to pay a decent wage. £5.05 next October is welcome, but we need much more.' said Kate Green OBE, Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group.

'The average wage was more than double that. 60 per cent of the median wage is a mean target to aim at – that would by £6.30. Recent research has pointed to £7.83 as a minimum to obtain an acceptable standard, whist avoiding recourse to benefits and tax credits" she said.

For further information:
Ashley Riley
Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216
Mobile 07811 324339
Email ariley@cpag.org.uk

Notes

• £6.30 figure quoted by End Child Poverty, see 'Ten Policies to take a million out of poverty by 2010' End Child Poverty, 2005
• £7.83 comes from research by Professor Peter Ambrose, see 'Force Fraud or Good Will' Poverty Journal, Child Poverty Action Group