Living Wage Week in Scotland

That this House recognises that 9-15 November is Living Wage Week 2020; appreciates that the real living wage of £9.50 per hour is determined each year by the Resolution Foundation on an analysis of the wage that employees need to earn in order to afford the basket of goods required for a decent standard of living, and includes housing, childcare, transport and heating costs; welcomes the increase in the real living wage of 20p per hour; understands that 45,600 employees in Scotland have seen their pay rise due to the increase in the real living wage this year; acknowledges that there are 1,892 Living Wage Employers in Scotland; celebrates that Scotland has the highest proportion of living wage employees of any part of the UK; notes that Living Wage Employers come from the public, private and third sector; believes that there is still much work to be done before all people can learn a real living wage; notes that employment law is reserved to Westminster, yet commends the Scottish Government on it's efforts to promote fair work; calls on the UK Government to raise the minimum wage to the level of the real living wage; further calls for the UK Government to take on real Living Wage accreditation across it's own departments; thanks all who have signed up to be Living Wage employers, in particular the 180 who accredited in Scotland during lockdown; and encourages those who have not signed up to do so for the benefit of society as a whole.