Hi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick Wall
[log in to unmask]
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick WallHi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick WallHi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick WallHi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick WallHi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick WallHi
I am Nick Wall, a GMB member and political activist from Merseyside. I am
running a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a living
wage and an end to poverty pay, which now has approaching 1,000 signatures,
including Polly Toynbee, Frank Field MP, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert
MEPs, dozens of councillors and over 100 trade union reps. It has been
signed by the Director of the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network and
endorsed by the Church Action on Poverty.
Here's the link for the petition : to sign it, click on the link below and
fill in your personal details.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (and increased by the
GLA in April 2007 to £7.20 an hour).
The living wage is an idea whose time has come. We say there should be no
excuses in a strong economy like ours not to pay workers enough to live on.
My petition is only a small step in what is likely to be a long campaign. I
am excited by the work that has been done in cities like Oxford to establish
local living wage campaigns outside of London, and I hope to see many more
such campaigns develop in the months and years ahead. All these campaigns
are run in partnership with trade unions, and do not undermine trade union
campaigns to raise the level of the national minimum wage. The living wage
can make a real difference to the lives of many poor families - last month
living wage campaigners won a victory when Barclays agreed to bump up the
pay of about 1,000 London cleaners and other ancillary staff employed by
outside contractors to a living wage of £7.50 an hour.
I have also set up a blog to run alongside the petition, with recent news,
comments and resources, including information on what the living wage
campaign is about :-
http://livingwageuk.wordpress.com/
The information below is copied from my webpage :
Why a living wage ?
The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. The
Low Pay Commission do not take into account peoples actual needs in setting
the NMW. In the UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less
than £6.50 per hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were
part-time workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive
poverty pay or have to rely on benefits, and could allow contract workers to
lay claim to the same pay and conditions as staff directly employed by
government and local councils.
Some say that a living wage would actually harm poor people by losing vital
jobs. This is exactly the same argument that was trotted out innumerable
times against the introduction of the NMW. And what was the effect of the
NMW ? According to the government's own evidence last year to the Low Pay
Commission, "UK academic research to date has not found any firm evidence
that the adult minimum wage has reduced employment rates or raised
unemployment; this is consistent with the available international evidence.
"
Why now ?
In the USA since 1994, over 120 city and state governments have passed
living wage ordinances following pressure from local campaigners.Living wage
campaigns have raised levels of pay and provided benefits like health care
for thousands of workers. Studies there have shown that the living wage has
had no significant adverse impact on jobs, business or the economy.
Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given
his backing to a living wage in London. A living wage unit has been set up
in City Hall, through which figures for the London living wage are
calculated and published. Implementation has so far proved a thornier
problem, but the publication of the figures has already started to change
the pay bargaining landscape. It follows on some notable victories for low
paid workers, in particular cleaners in East London Hospitals and cleaners
in Canary Wharf and the City of London thousands of whom have secured a
living wage. Last year QMUL became the UK's first first living wage campus,
and in March 2007 the LSE agreed to pay its cleaners a living wage.
London's problems are not unique. Everywhere you go around the country,
there is poverty pay, and there is a need for a living wage. A living wage
in every region in the UK would be a huge boost to millions of low paid
workers. This is something that ordinary people can help to bring about, by
following the lead of campaigners in the USA and in London, and setting up
living wage campaigns in our own towns and workplaces.
What they said
THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER, CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR
I welcome the rise in the Living Wage to £7.05 [in May 2006]. This seems to
be the bare minimum to ensure that the basic dignity of workers and their
families is respected.
While our nation benefits economically from the presence of undocumented
workers, too often we turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers.
JEAN LAMBERT, GREEN PARTY MEP
British people work some of the longest hours in Europe yet 7 out of 10
people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer
hours. For many however this is impossible as they simply cannnot afford to
do so. It is currently possible for someone to work more than 60 hours a
week and still be paid less than £11,000 per year. The number of people
living below the poverty line in the UK is higher than the EU average and
continues to increase. The long hours culture is endangering our health and
acting as a detriment to our family life. We can't have a culture that says
you can not rest. We need a national living wage immediately to ensure this
changes and everyone can make ends meet without working 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
LABOUR PARTY COUNCILLOR RICHARD BERTIN (VALE OF GLAMORGAN)
Yes we have now thankfully got the minimum wage, and yes it is helping
thousands of low paid workers. But with the economy doing so well there are
repercussions one of which is the rising house prices.
Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow and
this needs to be addressed now! - How? By rightly establishing a national
living wage to ensure that we improve the lives of those on
low pay and also do our bit to remove poverty from the 4th largest economy
in the world - Great Britain. We need a living wage and we need it now!
STEVE HART, UNITE (T&G) REGIONAL SECRETARY
Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise
their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The
creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the mayor and it is
the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their
workforce out of poverty. It's now about getting it in practice throughout
the public and private sectors. The T&G is determined to continue to
organise low-paid workers so that the London living wage is paid everywhere.
Thanks for your time
Nick Wall
_________________________________________________________________
The next generation of Hotmail is here! http://www.newhotmail.co.uk
________________End of message______________________
This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies). Enquiries about the list administratione should be sent to [log in to unmask]
Archives and tools are located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.
|
