A new minimum wage rate of £6.12 an hour for workers over the age of 21 comes into force today (1 October.)

The Scottish Green Party has welcomed Labour's move towards a 'living wage' for public sector workers, having campaigned on the issue for some time.

The United States congress has linked federal minimum wage legislation to the bill for the Iraq war - and a number of faith and labour leaders are upset about it, including the head of the ecumenical council.

The Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign, a national US coalition of 91 religious, labour and community organizations, has thanked the Senate for voting to raise the minimum wage for the first time in many years.