To show how the government is clawing back much of the money ministers claim is helping workers on low pay, we're looking for case studies of individuals or families who are on the national minimum wage – currently £7.50 an hour – and who also get Universal Credit.
Between October 2015 and April 2018, the national minimum wage will have risen from £6.50 to £7.83 an hour, an hourly increase of £1.33.
But UNISON has worked out for people who are in receipt of Universal Credit, much of that rise will have ended up not in their pockets, but back in the hands of the Treasury.
If this is you, or describes someone you know, please get in touch by emailing UNISON's media team on press@unison.co.uk or Pete Challis, the report's authorp.challis@unison.co.uk
We'd need the following information: whether there are one or two earners on the minimum wage in your household, how many hours you (and they) work, how many children you have (if any), and how much you pay in rent, or how much your mortgage is a month.
If you were happy to be named in the report, and possibly speak to a journalist, it would help UNISON bring the campaign's attention to a wider audience. This would hopefully ensure that a greater proportion of future minimum wage increases end up in the hands of those who need it the most.
But the most important thing is to find some real life stories to illustrate the report, so even if you don't want to be named, please do still get in touch, as an anonymous household would still help us out no end.
Many thanks
