California on track for $15 minimum wage

California is to be the first US state to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour after a proposal passed both houses of the state legislature.

The bill incorporates a deal Governor Jerry Brown reached in the Assembly. Governor Brown said he would sign the bill on Monday.

Meanwhile, New York state has a tentative deal to raise its minimum wage.

The deal outlines a faster rise for big businesses in New York City.

Smaller businesses and regions in the north of state will have a $12.50 minimum wage.

In California, the measure is set to gradually raise California's hourly minimum wage from the current $10 to $15 by 2022 for large businesses and by 2023 for smaller firms.

"If you work full time, your family shouldn't live in poverty," Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Southern California Democrat, said in support of the bill in a debate.

Republicans had said the annual increases, eventually tied to inflation, would give California an image of being hostile to business.

Cities including Seattle and Los Angeles have already passed legislation to raise their minimum wages to $15 an hour.

And in the UK, the National Living Wage of £7.20 for employees over 25 will come into effect on 1 April.