ONE in three workers in Inverclyde including some considered key to the coronavirus response are earning below the so-called real living wage (RLW).

New figures suggest more than 30 per cent of jobs in the district give employees less than £9.30 an hour – equalling approximately 7,000 roles. 

The proportion of jobs paying below the RLW has been steadily increasing over the past five years.

Back in 2014, just over a fifth of workers were thought to be earning less than it.

The statistics have led the GMB union to call for key workers’ wages to be raised. 

Employees such as cleaners, hospital porters, retail cashiers and teaching assistants are all considered critical in responding to the pandemic. 

The real living wage (RLW) is a voluntary scheme devised by the Living Wage Foundation and is based on costs such as food and household bills. 

It is different to the statutory National Living Wage, which is the legally-binding hourly rate for workers aged 25 and over. 

The UK Government raised the National Living Wage to £8.72 an hour on April 1. 

Lola McEvoy, GMB union organiser,  said: “This crisis has inadvertently shone a light on the rock-bottom pay and miserly terms and conditions of the people we now expect to risk their health to protect us.

“It’s wrong over three million of the most vital jobs in our society pay so little that those doing them live with the compounding stress of spiralling into debt. 

“All key workers must be respected with a real living wage.” 

The proportion of jobs in Inverclyde which pay below the RLW stands way above the Scottish average, which has been estimated at 16.9 per cent and has been gradually declining since 2016. 

It also stands above neighbouring local authority areas.

For example, only 23 per cent of jobs in Renfrewshire and 16 per cent of roles in North Ayrshire are thought to pay less than the RLW.

But economists have urged against further wage rises before the full toll of the coronavirus crisis is clear.

The Low Pay Commission, an independent body which advises the government, warned it might be necessary to apply an 'emergency brake' on long-term plans to continue to lift the statutory minimum. 

Bryan Sanderson, chair of the Low Pay Commission, said:  “Under our new remit, the government asks us to monitor the labour market and the impacts of the National Living Wage closely, advise on any emerging risks and recommend the government reviews its target or timeframe.  

“This is what the government refers to as the ’emergency brake’.  

“The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic clearly represents a very challenging set of circumstances for workers and employers alike, and will require us to review whether the emergency brake is required when we next provide our advice to the government.”