FLAT-PACK furniture giant Ikea faces being stripped of its Living Wage Foundation (LWF) accreditation after refusing to raise its lowest rates by just 20p an hour.

LWF-accredited employers have until May to comply with the £9.50 minimum introduced in November, but Ikea, whose online sales rose by nearly a third during the pandemic, has already indicated that it will not do so.

Ikea remained listed as a “principal partner” on the LWF website today, where a statement from the Sweden-based transnational said: “We are proud to pay the real living wage and view it as a worthwhile investment in our people.”