Living Wage
Quick quiz. Which organisation explained its support for paying workers a minimum of £7.05 per hour on the grounds that it helps to reduce absenteeism, boost productivity and reduce staff turnover, thus making it good for business:
a) the Labour Party
b) Oxfam
c) KPMG, Europe's largest accountancy firm
If you thought (c), then you'd be right. Of course, it wasn't simply a matter of enlightened self-interest but followed campaigning from the Living Wage campaign. I do find it interesting when some lefties talk about how big rises in the minimum wage would be politically and economically impossible, but a big city firm finds that paying workers enough that they can provide for themselves and their families without having to work two or more jobs is good for business.
Local authorities are setting their budgets over the next few months. I wonder how many Labour councillors will follow KPMG's lead and support the introduction of a living wage for all council workers (including agency workers), or how many charities pay their employees enough to live on. This is a campaign which everyone can join in, wherever they live and work.
posted by donpaskini @ 11:57 pm
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Maybe that's because they are in the City of London. Do you think that is the going rate for cleaners in Dundee?
We were elected with a manifesto pledge to set the minimum wage in a specific way and that is what we have done.
That's good to hear. I should have been clearer - the point is that it would be great if all Labour-run councils paid their workers enough to live on for their area, not that they set their wages by the rates for the City of London.
Lots of Labour councils have been working on doing this and others should follow your lead of making this a manifesto pledge and then implementing it.
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