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10-Mar-08 17:10 [Pay and Reward]
Brown announces minimum wage increase Gordon Brown has announced that the national minimum wage will increase from October this year.
The prime minister has revealed that for adults over the age of 21 will receive £5.73, an increase of 21p an hour.
John Hutton, the business secretary, said: "The national minimum wage remains one of the most important rights introduced by the government in the last decade."
He added that before it was introduced, some workers could expect to be paid "as little as 35p an hour" and Labour legislation has "ensured that can no longer happen".
For 18 to 21-year-olds, the national minimum wage will rise 17p to £4.77 while 16-17 year olds will get a rise of 13p to £3.53.
Mr Hutton concluded that he is "proud" of the minimum wage and said it "makes a real difference".
The minimum wage has now increased by 60 per cent since it was introduced in 1999
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