Living Wage Week

Living Wage Week

Living Wage Week is a UK-wide celebration of the Living Wage and Living Wage Employers.

This year Living Wage Week begins on Sunday 1 November and runs to Saturday 7 November.

The week sees accredited Living Wage Employers across the country celebrate their commitment to the Living Wage. Local accredited Living Wage employers include Rochdale Online, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, E R Williams (Painting Contractors), Burgaflex and Social Care Network Solutions.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.

Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore explains: "The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay."

New research reveals that almost six million people (23% of the working population) are paid less than the living wage. This is nearly half a million more than last year and an increase for the third year in a row – up from 21% in 2013 and 22% in 2014.

Locally the situation is even worse, around a third of jobs in the Borough of Rochdale pay less than the living wage.

What can you do to encourage employers to pay a living wage?

Emily Kenway, 29, campaigns organiser at the Living Wage Foundation says: “Consumers have clout. Shoppers can choose to give their cash to employers who pay fairly.”

http://www.livingwage.org.uk/