Five Million Paid Less Than Living Wage

A KPMG-commissioned study has found that almost five million of staff throughout the UK and Northern Ireland are paid less than the recommended living wage level. It currently stands at £7.20, although those working in London see a £8.30 level due to increased living costs.

The living wage level is a calculation on how much per hour a worker should be paid in order to provide a decent standard of living for them. This includes the ability to pay rent, bills and necessities.  The living wage is a voluntary rate of pay above the mandatory minimum wage level of £6.19 for those over 21.

EU Debate Woman Board Quotas

Studies by a BBC News show in May discovered that less than a third of the UK’s most influential jobs are held by women. This sparked a large debate and a lot of controversy, with calls to the European Union to debate the matter.

EU Commissioners are preparing to go into lengthy talks about the issue of what is perceived to be international institutional sexism. There are already proposals on how to remedy the situation, with one of the more drastic ideas to make it mandatory for companies to reserve 40% of their board seats for women. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding [pictured] will present the female quotas proposal in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Energy Prices Set for Massive Rise

After announcements by British Gas, the largest energy supplier in the UK, that said they will be raising charges for gas and electricity by an average of 6%, Npower have also declared that they will be raising the price of gas by 8.8% and electricity by 9.1%.

This information comes before winter, a time when energy suppliers obviously face a much higher demand for their fuels. Npower’s chief commercial officer Paul Massara said of the rises: "There is never a good time to increase energy bills, particularly when so many people are working hard to make ends meet".

Britain to Hold a Referendum on EU Membership?

David Cameron has hinted at plans that his government will hold a referendum on whether or not Britain should remain a part of the European Union, and whether greater involvement is needed.

A letter to the Sunday Telegraph back in June of this year made it clear that an immediate in/out referendum was not going to happen in the near future. Instead, he wanted a “real choice” for voters, so that they could make an informed decision about the issue.

Some MPs have labelled the move as “party management” and citing the Eurozone crisis as a more prevalent issue. However, pundits considering the UKs departure from the EU have made it clear that Britain cannot remain where it is. Sharon Bowles, Lib Dem MEP, has claimed that some Eurozone countries blame the UK for the current crisis.

Not only was this caused by the fact that the City of London banks agreed that they had let the 2008 financial crisis occur, and subsequently the Eurozone crisis, but recent scandals involving the Libor rigging, money-laundering and PPI mis-selling have made the Eurozone increasingly untrusting of the British financial system.

Some pundits have also accrued Britain’s detachment from the Eurozone, the fact that it has a separate currency and less obligations, have sustained the current problems. If the UK were to stay within the EU, calls for further integration and closer ties would be made. The government has to decide not only whether to stay, but how much sovereignty to award the EU, an issue that is hotly contested throughout the UK.

It is expected that David Cameron will make a major speech about the British relationship with Europe ahead of the EU Leaders Summit in December this year. Then, it is expected for the Prime Minister to lay-out his plans for the future of British involvement in Europe and a response to European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, call for a new EU Treaty to create “a democratic federation of nation states.”

Amalgamating into a federation of states will be a much closer association with Europe than the UK has previously experienced. The decision is expected to be made by the people of Great Britain, during a referendum.