National Living Wage by then. A survey conducted in November 2015 by the Resolution Foundation and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that the policy is expected to have its greatest impact in the retail, hospitality and healthcare sectors. The policy has received criticism from some large employers, particularly supermarkets and the food and drink sector, where profits may be reduced by up to 10%. Some large employers have said that they may pass on the additional cost to consumers in the form of higher prices and some intend to improve productivity. The supermarket chain Lidl has said it will implement
National Minimum Wage Act 1998 took effect on 1 April 1999. On 1 April 2016, an amendment to the act attempted an obligatory "National Living Wage" for workers over 25, which was implemented at a significantly higher minimum wage rate of £7.20 (then up to £7.50 from April 2017 and £7.83 from April 2018), and is expected to rise to at least £9 per hour by 2020. No national minimum wage existed prior to 1998, although there were a variety of systems of wage controls focused on specific industries under the Trade Boards Act 1909. The Wages Councils Act 1945 and subsequent acts applied sectoral