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International standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation agree that wages earned in a standard week should be sufficient to provide the basic needs of a worker and his or her family, plus a discretionary amount to cover emergencies, etc. In the UK, some organisations voluntarily pay a living wage to their staff, at a level somewhat higher than the existing statutory national minimum wage. From April 2016 a National Living Wage will be obligatory for workers over 25, implemented as a significantly higher minimum wage rate, expected to rise to at least £9 per hour by 2020. ==National Living Wage== The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne announced what he termed the "National Living Wage" at the end of his budget speech on 8 July 2015. The announcement was seen as a political coup for the Conservative government because the opposition Labour Party had proposed that the national minimum wage rise only to £8 per hour.〔 The National Living Wage will be phased in between 2016 and 2020, with the aim of reaching 60% of median UK earnings by 2020. For over-25 year old employees, the wage will begin at £7.20 per hour in April 2016 and is projected to rise to at least £9 per hour by 2020.〔 HM Treasury claims that 2.7 million workers will benefit directly and the Resolution Foundation calculates the number of employees that are expected to benefit at about 6 million.〔 Smaller employers will have employer National Insurance discounts increased, which will mitigate the higher costs of the National Living Wage. In September 2015 the proposed penalties for employer non-compliance were announced. They are expected to be double those for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 (increased from 100% of arrears owed to 200%), although this will be halved if paid within 14 days. The maximum penalty will remain £20,000 per worker. An additional penalty of disqualification from being a company director for up to 15 years will also be available to the courts. The enforcement budget is due to double, and the creation of a dedicated HM Revenue and Customs non-compliance team to pursue criminal prosecutions was announced. A survey conducted in November 2015 by the Resolution Foundation and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that the policy is expected to have its greatest impact in the retail, hospitality and healthcare sectors. The policy has received criticism from some large employers, particularly supermarkets and the food and drink sector, where profits may be reduced by up to 10%. Some large employers have said that they may pass on the additional cost to consumers in the form of higher prices and some intend to improve productivity. The supermarket chain Lidl has said it will implement a “living wage” without increasing any of its prices.〔 A report by Moody's Investors Service stated supermarkets may employ a higher proportion of under-25 year olds to reduce employee costs. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates the policy will result in 60,000 fewer jobs, though this is a small effect in total job market changes.〔 Although the policy is called a "living wage", it does not meet with internationally agreed definitions of a living wage. Opponents have objected to the government's use of the term 'living wage' on the grounds that the National Living Wage will be calculated from median UK earnings rather than the cost of living.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.livingwage.org.uk/calculation )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Living wage in the United Kingdom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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