Calls for £9,000 pay increase for thousands of Britons to end 'age discrimination'

A woman checks her bills

A new petition is calling for a £9,000 pay increase for thousands of Britons by increasing the National Living Wage. Supporters want the current National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over, which is £11.44 an hour, to be extended to all workers regardless of age.

The National Minimum Wage for those aged 18 to 20 is currently £8.60 an hour while for under 18s and those on the Apprentice rate, the minimum pay is £6.40 an hour.

For under 18s and those on the Apprentice rate who work full-time hours of 35 hours a week, such an increase would increase their pay by over £220 a week, or just over £9,100 a year.

The petition states: “The cost of living crisis is affecting young people too, so why aren’t they entitled to the same wage as older people?

“There are so many people under 23 who are in the same situation as older workers, and not everyone is lucky enough to have parents or other family to help them out. We think this needs to change.”

A full-time worker aged 18 to 20 on the National Minimum Wage would see their pay go up by around £100 a week, or £5,200 a year.

However, this would also drag under 18s into paying National Insurance and income tax, while those aged 18 to 20 would start paying income tax on their earnings.

A man checks his bills

The campaign also states: “We believe everyone who is working should be entitled to the same National Minimum Wage.

“Abolish the age groups and make sure everyone is paid at least the National Living Wage that is currently in place for people aged 23 and over.

“There are different minimum wages for different age groups, with the highest minimum wage only applying to people aged 23 and over.

“We believe everyone who is working should be entitled to the same national minimum wage. Abolish the age groups and make sure everyone is paid at least the National Living Wage that is currently in place for people aged 23 and over.”

“We believe this is unacceptable. Many people are struggling financially and paying people less because of their age is discriminatory.” You can read the full petition on the Parliament website here.

The National Living Wage increased from the start of April from £10.42 to £11.44. The wage was also extended to include all those aged 21 and over, as it was previously available only to those aged 23 or over.

For the latest personal finance news, follow us on Twitter at @ExpressMoney_.