Real Living Wage update – May 2026

01 May 2026

From 1 May 2026, all colleagues will be paid at or above the Real Living Wage of £13.45 per hour

From Friday, 1 May 2026, we will be implementing the new Real Living Wage (RLW), ensuring all our colleagues benefit from a salary at or above the Real Living Wage of £13.45 per hour. 

This is in line with our commitment as a proud Real Living Wage accredited employer, underlining our civic commitments as a key employer in the Manchester region. 

This change will be reflected in colleagues’ May pay. Casual colleagues will see the updated rate applied to hours worked from Friday, 1 May, with payment reflected in the June payroll in line with normal payroll timelines. 

What is the change? 

From Friday, 1 May 2026, all colleagues will be paid at or above the Real Living Wage rate of £13.45. Please note, this uplift includes UMC colleagues and normal payroll rules (such as pro‑rata for part‑time work) apply. 

Grade 1 colleagues on the standard grade points (spine points 7-9) will receive an hourly rate of £13.56 per hour, an increase of over 5% from their current hourly rate of £12.84. 

Grade 1 colleagues on the contribution point (spine point 10) will receive an hourly rate of £13.87, an increase of 6.4% from their current hourly rate of £13.04. 

Grade 2 colleagues on the standard grade points (spine points 10-13) will receive an hourly rate of £13.87 per hour, representing an increase of up to 6.4% for some colleagues depending on which point they are currently on. 

We recognise that, as a result, Grades 1 and 2 currently compress to a single pay hourly rate. This is intended as a temporary arrangement while we continue work with our Trade Union colleagues on a more sustainable solution for the pay spine and grades. 

Who is affected and what will colleagues be paid? 

The table below shows how hourly rates will be adjusted.  

Why is a longer-term solution needed? 

Our colleagues are our greatest asset, and we recognise the important contribution you make every day. We want to ensure your pay continues to reflect this as fairly and sustainably as possible. 

As we shared towards the end of last year, the increase to the Real Living Wage is larger than in previous years and now sits part way through Grade 2 of the pay spine. The changes we are putting in place mean colleagues in Grades 1 and 2 will see pay increases now. We recognise, however, that this temporarily reduces opportunities for pay progression within these grades and has narrowed the gaps between Grades 1, 2 and 3. 

What happens next? 

We are continuing to work closely with our recognised Trade Unions to develop a more sustainable, long-term solution for the pay spine.  

Because of the scale and complexity of this work, a full solution is not ready for 1 May 2026, but this remains a priority and we will share further updates as soon as we can.   

Questions? 

If you have questions about how this applies to you, please discuss with your line manager or raise a case for the People team through Connect.