Scandalously low pay for under 25s addressed at union's summit for young people

Young workers miss out on at least £325 million each year thanks to a random and draconian wage cap.

Employed people aged under 25 are paid a staggering £6.25million less than their older colleagues every single week due to lower pay enforced by the Tory Government

The so-called "National Living Wage" is currently £7.20 per hour – but drops to £6.95 an hour for Britain’s 2.1 million workers aged between 21 and 24. For the 750,000 aged under 21, it plummets to a paltry £5.55 per hour.

The scandalous wages of young workers are a key issue at this year’s GMB Young Members National Summit, which takes place in Birmingham today (Saturday).

Ross Holden, GMB Young Members Network, said:

“The so-called ‘national living wage’ not only pays far less than the real living wage of £10 per hour workers need, it is also only paid to workers once they are 25 years old.

“This means that younger workers who do the same work can be paid up to 23% less for it, a massive disparity in pay that flies in the face of the right to equal pay for equal work.

"Nearly 3 million young people are missing out on hundreds of millions of pounds thanks to these lower wage rates, whilst many of them struggle with the same living costs as older colleagues.

“Low pay and low guaranteed hours work are combining to trap young people to in-work poverty from the very beginning of their working lives.

“Struggling to afford living in a home of your own, looking after your kids or even socialising with friends is becoming a daily reality for more and more young workers in Twenty first Century Britain."

Tomorrow’s summit will see young GMB members from across the UK coming together to decide the union’s policies and campaigns, learn new skills and meet other young members.

Guest will take part in workshops, committee elections, guest speakers, young members’ awards and more.