Manx political party calls for minimum and living wage match by 2023

Paul Weatherall said low income workers would welcome the boost in earnings sooner

Plans to align the Isle of Man's minimum and living wages should be "accelerated" to next year, a political party has said.

The Manx government has committed to matching the legal hourly rate with the voluntary wage in phases by 2025.

Liberal Vannin said bringing this forward to 2023 would help low-income workers amid the cost of living crisis.

The minimum wage is currently set at £9.50 an hour, while the living wage has been calculated as £11.05.

The plea comes in response to a consultation run by an independent committee, which is seeking views on plans to up the minimum wage to £11 next April.

The island's Minimum Wage Committee said the proposed £1.50 increase was a step towards matching the living wage, which is also expected to rise in due course.

Liberal Vannin chairman Paul Weatherall said the transition should happen next year rather than 2023 to help "those who need it most".

"The island's employers should already be factoring in this change in their business planning and many already accept the Manx Living Wage as the minimum that they should be paying their employees," he added.

The Department for Enterprise has been contacted for a response.