BURY has the third lowest average gross hourly pay in the North West, according to figures published by the GMB union.

The rate of £10.55 is just 84 per cent of the UK average of £12.50 an hour. Manchester has the highest average gross hourly pay in the region, with an average figure of £13.51.

Average gross hourly pay for full-time and part-time workers in the North West is £11.65.

Paul McCarthy, the unions North West regional secretary, said: "These figures show that there is plenty of scope to raise the national minimum wage to the £6 per hour that the GMB sought last time it was reviewed."