Two million workers are set to benefit from the rise of the National Living Wage which increases from £7.20 an hour to £7.50 on 1st April. The rise will benefit employees who are aged 25 and above and comes into place 12 months after the benchmark was first established. The National Minimum Wage, which began in 1999 and now covers workers aged 16 to 24 and apprentices, is also rising by 5p or 10p an hour depending on age. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield City Council has become the first employer in Yorkshire to sign up to the TUC ‘Dying to Work’ Voluntary Charter which protects the employment rights of terminally ill employees. The charter supports terminally ill employees who wish to continue work after being diagnosed with a terminal illness and protects their right to dignity and not to be stigmatised in the work place. The Council is the latest high-profile employer to sign up to the charter which was developed by the TUC following the case of Jacci Woodcook, a 58-year-old sales manager from Derbyshire, who was forced out of her job after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.
A recent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicates men still get paid significantly more than women, with the difference increasing for women with children. New rules requiring companies with over 250 employees to report gender pay differences will come into effect in 2017. Equality campaigners argue more needs to be done. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Carol Keen of the Women’s Equality Party.