Mayor calls for minimum pay hike

Mr Livingstone said the Living Wage was vitla to London

Mayor Ken Livingstone has called on employers in London to raise the minimum wage to £7.20 per hour.

Mr Livingstone has championed a London-weighted minimum wage, which is higher than the national £5.35 rate.

The London Living Wage, calculated by the mayor's Living Wage unit, is considered the level of pay required to live adequately.

Mr Livingstone said the Living Wage was "vital to ensure [London] retains" a skilled, committed workforce.

'Vital workforce'

"This applies to those who provide all the essential services - without which London would grind to a halt."

He said employers and unions were increasingly using the Living Wage, which is a voluntary scheme, in negotiations and setting wage rates.

"They are making a real difference to the London economy," he said.

Mr Livingstone agreed to back the Living Wage as part of his re-election campaign in 2004.

London Citizens have been pressing the Olympic Delivery Authority to secure a Living Wage deal for 2012 Games staff.

A London Citizens spokesman said: "We welcome the mayor's leadership on setting a living wage for the capital."

Steve Hart, of the Transport and General Workers Union, said: "Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world."

He said the wage was "the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their workforce out of poverty".