The scandal of low pay

Almost five million British workers paid less than the living wage

One in five British workers and their families are likely to have inadequate standards of living because they are being paid less than the living wage, according to a study.
The research by the consultants KPMG found that 4.82 million workers have to survive on less than a living wage,currently £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 in the rest of the country. The TUC described the findings as "shocking".
The government has resisted campaigns to increase the current minimum wage of £6.19 to living wage levels, fearing that it would hit employment figures. It argues that it is a poorly targeted poverty measure.
But an increasing number of employers, notably the London mayor Boris Johnson, have introduced a living wage rate for their staff. According to KPMG's study, the voluntary measure has helped 10,000 employees, and redistributed £96m to the lowest paid.
 

See The Guardian:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/29/five-million-britons-living-wage