H&F Council Becomes a Living Wage Employer
All employees plus contractors and suppliers paid at least £9.40 per hour
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has become one of the latest local authorities to be accredited as a Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation.
The council says that the Living Wage commitment will see everyone working for it receive the London living hourly wage of £9.40 – significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.70.
And as well as paying its own staff, the Living Wage would also apply to new contracts or renewals for many of the third-party contractors and suppliers including contracted care workers.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually and employers choose to pay it on a voluntary basis.
The Living Wage 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.
Sarah Vero, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, says: " We are delighted to welcome the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.
" We know how challenging it is for local authorities working with the social care sector, and are pleased to see that the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham will be adopting the Living Wage across all contracted agencies, alongside internal staff. We hope that others will follow their lead and implement the voluntary Living Wage and help tackle poverty pay.
" Over 2,000 organisations are now accredited Living Wage employers across the UK. The voluntary Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living; going above the statutory minimums and rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay."
The council's decision has been praised by Father Richard Bastable of St Luke's Church in Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, which is a member of West London Citizens. He says: " West London Citizens congratulates Hammersmith & Fulham Council on their accreditation.
" This will benefit their employees and local residents and set a benchmark for other employers in the borough to meet. We look forward to continued cooperation with the council to tackle low pay."
Councillor Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, adds: " Properly rewarding those who work so hard serving residents with a true Living Wage is a benchmark that Hammersmith & Fulham Council is happy to be judged by.
" The idea behind a genuine Living Wage is very simple: that a person should be paid enough to live decently and to adequately provide for their family. It makes sense ethically and it makes sense financially.
"Paying the Living Wage is a recognised sign of good practice in employment. There are now thousands of employers in the private and public sector who are displaying the Living Wage Employer Mark and I am extremely proud that Hammersmith & Fulham Council will be joining them."
March 7, 2016
