Around 12,000 key workers considered vital to the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis are earning below the ‘real living wage’ in Reading, new data suggests.

This means around one in eight key workers in Reading, including hospital porters, waste collectors, retail workers, van drivers, security guards and factory workers, are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s ‘real’ living wage rate of £9.30 an hour, according to government and trade union figures.

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The figures come from data provided by the Office for National Statistics and survey results from trade union GMB, which represents more than 62,000 workers including many key workers.

The situation for Reading’s key workers is better than in other parts of the country, with an average of 20.1per cent paid under the real living wages across the UK.

A spokesman for the Real Living Wage Foundation said: “It’s incredibly important that key workers are paid a real Living Wage.

“These are the hospital cleaners, the shelf-stackers and the carers who are putting their health on the line to keep us safe, and to keep our economy and society running.”

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

The voluntary rate is currently £9.30 an hour for workers outside London and £10.75 an hour in London.

It is separate to the National Living Wage, a minimum rate set by the government, which was increased this year to £8.72 an hour for workers aged 25 and over.

Under-25s are only entitled to the minimum wage, which is £8.20 an hour.

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A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “It is right we ensure the lowest paid are fairly rewarded for their contribution to the economy, particularly those working in essential services during the biggest threat this country has faced in decades.

“This year’s increase to the National Living Wage means we will be putting an extra £930 a year into the pockets of 2.4 million of the UK’s lowest paid workers.”