Online retail giant Amazon has raised its minimum wage for British and American workers, reports The Guardian. In the UK 40,000 permanent and temporary staff will get an increase to £10.50 an hour in London and £9.50 across the rest of the country. In the US, the company will increase the US minimum wage to $15 (£11.57) an hour for more than 350,000 workers. The new US and UK minimum wage will apply to all workers, full and part-time, seasonal employees and temporary workers hired by recruitment agencies. Jeff Bezos, the multi-billionaire founder of Amazon, commented, “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead. We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.” Amazon’s new UK minimum pay rates, which will take effect on 1 November, are at least 21% higher than the current national minimum wage of £7.83. The new rate is also higher than the level recommended by the Living Wage Foundation of £8.75, or £10.20 in London. Amazon has faced intense criticism in recent years over pay, working conditions and the company’s tax affairs around the world.