Celtic have told shareholders at their annual meeting that the club will not bow to pressure to pay the new living wage of £8.25 to all employees.

The Scottish league champions remained adamant that it was "not in the best interests of the club", in the words of chairman Ian Bankier, to pass on the recommended increase to all permanent or casual employees.

HR manager Mike Hayes added that the club's position would be reviewed in January but Celtic's apparent reluctance was roundly criticised by many of the shareholders present. 

Chief executive Peter Lawwell also used the agm to endorse the work of manager Ronny Deila, who has come under fire for the club's failure to make progress in Europe during his two seasons in charge. 

And there was a heated exchange between shareholders and chairman Ian Bankier over the proposed re-election of Lord Livingston to the board.

But many shareholders present at Celtic Park (below) wanted answers on Celtic's refusal to agree to pass on the increased living wage for all employees, after chairman Ian Bankier said it was "not in the interests of Celtic to sign up to the living wage".

Glasgow Times:

The new rate of £8.25 an hour, set by an independent foundation to make wages match the cost of living, has been adopted by around 380 firms across Scotland - with the target of the country having 500 living-wage employers by March next year.

Mike Hayes, Celtic's HR manager, said of the increased rate: “They introduced that this month and you have six months to implement that. We review our rates of pay annually. We had a loss this year of £3.5m but we still gave our employees a pay rise.

"We have not made decisions going forward. We will make a decision later in the year. Any increases will apply in the new year. I have been here 13 years and I do feel we are competitive.

“We are not complacement about the rates we do pay but we also have an employee engagement initiative. We launched an initiative called Celtic Pride about employee recognition and making people feel valued. I sincerely believe Celtic are a very good employer and I know that Celtic compares favourably with other football clubs.

“We received investors in people accreditation and we are the only professional club north of the border who has that. That shows a recognised standard that we have in our people and the training we provide. We are a good employer which you wouldn’t think if you listened externally to what has been said about us in terms of the living wage.

“We are not complacent, we believe we are a good employer and are always looking for ways to improve.

"Of the 140 staff affected only three members of staff weren’t happy. We have a minimum wage of £7.85 and will review that going forward, as we do every year, in the new year. We are a competitive employer."

However, there were impassioned pleas from various shareholders to bring in the new living wage.

Patrick Kelly called on the club to reinstate low-paid workers on a bonus scheme and also said that not paying the living wage across the board was an "attitude unworthy of Celtic Football Club; the Celtic way is generosity".

John Gallagher of UNISON added: "It is shameful that Celtic are not recognising the Living Wage."

The meeting opened with applause for team boss Deila, while a note of apologies from majority shareholder Dermot Desmond was met with grumbles of discontent.

Chairman Bankier opened the AGM and insisted that Deila retained the faith of the board, a sentiment backed up by chief executive Lawwell.

“To be Celtic manager the expectation upon you is to win everything but life does not work that way,” said Bankier.

“Last year we won two trophies, this year we are ahead in the league but we have been sharply disappointed by two adverse results in Europe. We can’t buy success, we need to develop what we have.”

Glasgow Times:

Lawwell maintained that Deila (pictured alongside him, above) would continue to progress Celtic, highlighting the misfortune that befell him and his team when officials failed to spot a handball offence by Josh Meekings of Inverness in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

“On the pitch it was a year of transition," he said. "We had a new, young manager and nothing prepares you for the Celtic job. It was baptism of fire for Ronny. We would have gone on to win the treble last season had it not been for that decision at Hampden.

“This year we stumbled in Europe which was bitterly disappointing, we must do better. We have got to perform to our highest standards. We must improve and no one knows that more than Ronny.

"We are at the top of the league, in the other two competitions and chance to go for a treble. We hae under-achieved in Europe and hopefully we can go and take the treble.

“He is a young manager. We hired him on the basis of fundamental qualities he has got. He is a builder and that takes time. You can’t have a knee-jerk reaction after two or three games. We look after our managers here and we give them time to progress.

“You can see improvement in our players – Virgil van Dijk improved, Jason Denayer improved, Nir Bitton has obviously improved as has Leigh Griffiths and we are now seeing Kieran Tierney coming in.”

Lawwell also maintained that Celtic's financial position remains healthy.

“We have no bank debt and we are stable to take on the challenges going forward,” he said. “We have signed the biggest short deal the club has ever had and we sold 40,000 season tickets – we are third in the UK for that behind only Manchester United and Arsenal.”

Lawwell revealed that the club will unveil a statue of Billy McNeill, the captain of the Lisbon Lions.

The statue will be ready next month and Lawell said: "Billy McNeill stands for everything that is good about Celtic.

"He was a leader. He embodied the right values of family, respect and humility. He is a magnificent man on and off the park."