Hi, I'm Josh, a Councillor from the North West, UK. This petition is part of my campaign to get 18-24 year-olds the National Living Wage. 

Currently, the National Living Wage only applies to workers aged 25+, meaning those aged 18-24 can be paid significantly less for the same work. As it stands, those between the ages of 21 and 24 are currently paid 50p less than the living wage per hour. That is predicted to rise to a difference of £1.21 per hour by October 2020. The margin is greater again for those between 18 and 21, who are paid £1.90 less an hour. It has been estimated that under-25s on the minimum wage will earn just over £11,000 less than an older colleague over the next five years.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General argues that “anybody who has employed people knows that younger people, especially in their first jobs, are not as productive, on average.” However, this is fundamentally untrue and there is no sufficient evidence that supports this statement. 

I call upon the general public to support my campaign to encourage the government to make the National Living Wage accessible to 18-24 year-olds. 

Please sign and share my petition.

Kind regards, Josh.