Even the clergy are not “immune” to Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, which has now forced its vicars Church of England to formally request a pay rise for the first time in their nearly 500-year history.

The union Unitewhich represents more than 2,000 clergy and other lay members of the Church, announced today that it has requested a 9.5% increase in clerical pay to be paid from April 2024.

“The Church of England has billions in the bank and can afford to pay the clergy the small pay rise they are demanding,” union general secretary Sharon Graham said, referring to the $13.2 billion investment fund included in the 2022 annual report. of the Priests of the Church.

A Church of England spokesman said he was aware of what the clergy were facing cost of living crisis.

Last year the Church saved three million pounds for dioceses to give allowances to clergy who are struggling with rising energy bills.

Hundreds of thousands of British workers have been on strike frequently over the past year demanding raises.

Unite proposed that the national minimum wage for clergy should rise to €34,984 and the national wage benchmark to increase to 36,756.90 euros, as it said.

“Over the past year many clergy have had to turn to charity because they could not make ends meet. The proposed increase is necessary to begin to bring salaries into line with inflation while simultaneously addressing the urgent hardship and insecurity experienced by so many clergy and their families,” said Sam Maginnis, a member of the clergy and union.

The Church of England’s pay committee will convene to make recommendations on clergy salaries, which will then be referred to the Council of Archbishops in September for a final recommendation.