Almost
a third of employers would support a national minimum wage above the £4.20
hourly rate which is due to take effect from October 2002, according to a
survey by IRS Employment Review.
Just
under half of the organisations polled supported an hourly rate of £4.20, while
nearly 30 per cent supported a higher amount.
But
while there is seemingly little resistance to October’s 10p an hour increase,
employers are far from satisfied with the way the NMW works in practice.
Six
out of 10 respondents believe that the single national rate should be replaced
by a range of minimum pay levels that take account of regional or industry
differences.
Almost
70 per cent of respondents also support annual uprating of the statutory pay
floor with more than 40 per cent in favour of a direct link to inflation.
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A
third of firms want to see the minimum wage linked to annual average earnings
growth.
