The minimum wage should be hiked to £15 an hour as low-paid workers are pushed to the brink by rising living costs, trade union bosses have said.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) urged ministers to set about increasing the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible as the crisis in living standards mounts.
Britain is facing an autumn of discontent as workers across a string of industries consider strike action, following walkouts by rail staff, barristers and port workers this summer.
Last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that workers saw their pay lag behind inflation at a record rate over the three months to June.
Regular pay, excluding bonuses, increased by 4.7% over the quarter but failed to keep up with rampant inflation, which struck 9.4% in June and accelerated to another 40-year high last month.
The TUC call will put pressure on Keir Starmer over Labour's reluctance to commit to a specific figure.
The current minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over is £9.50 - with lower rates for younger employees.
The TUC has said the Government must deliver a "plan to strengthen and extend collective bargaining across the economy" to help boost pay for workers.
Proposals also include corporate governance reforms and a "life-long learning and skills strategy" designed to address labour shortages.
Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said: "Every worker should be able to afford a decent standard of living.
"But millions of low-paid workers live wage packet to wage packet, struggling to get by - and they are now being pushed to the brink by eye-watering bills and soaring prices.
"We can't keep lurching from crisis to crisis. Working families need long-term financial security - that means reversing the destructive trend of standstill wages.
"Ministers should introduce fair pay agreements to get pay and productivity rising in low-paid sectors."
But Matthew Percival, director of skills and inclusion at the CBI, which represents businesses, said there should not be a new target.
He said: "Firms are increasing wages where they can, but energy price rises are pushing some to the brink.
"High energy prices require urgent government action to support households and businesses, not relying on the minimum wage alone."
