ALMOST a quarter of all North-East workers - and nearly a half of part-time staff - are not being paid a living wage, new research shows.

Local authorities in the region are facing fresh calls to pay employees and contractors more after a study by the GMB revealed that 23.4 per cent of North-East jobs paid less than the living wage.

Jobs held by women - 29.9 per cent - and part-time roles - 46.8 per cent - were disproportionately affected, the report based on data from the Office for National Statistics showed.

The living wage is a recommended rate of pay that takes into account the true cost of living in the UK.

In November 2014 the national living wage increased to £7.85 per hour outside London.

GMB is publishing the figures to mark the launch of its 2015 campaign to get every local authority signed up to the living wage. 134 out of 375 local authorities in England and Wales have so far made the move, up from 103 a year ago.

So far only two authorities in the North-East - Newcastle and South Tyneside - have implemented or committed to implement the living wage.

In North Yorkshire, two councils - York and Scarborough - have taken the step.

Billy Coates, GMB regional secretary for the North-East, said: "No area is immune from the low-pay epidemic which is why all local authorities need to champion the living wage in their communities, beginning with their own staff and contractors.

"There are 446,300 council employees paid less than the Living Wage, the majority of them women working part-time.

"The living wage matters because it takes into account the income that people need for a minimum acceptable standard of living. It is a first step towards a rate of pay that people can live on without relying on benefits."

In the North-East, Hartlepool has the largest proportion of jobs paying less than the living wage with 34.7 per cent, followed by Redcar and Cleveland - 30 per cent - and Middlesbrough and Northumberland, both 26.8 per cent.

At regional level, the East Midlands has the largest proportion of jobs paying less than the living wage with 24.7 per cent.