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‘Cleaners will get a pay rise as Queen Mary College becomes the first living-wage campus in the UK' *Guardian Unlimited* http://education.guardian.co.uk/administration/story/0,,1750997,00.html Last Thursday Queen Mary’s Council committed itself to making the College the first ‘living wage campus’ in the UK. This means that no one will be paid less than a living wage (currently set at £6.70 an hour) or receive fewer than 28 days holiday and 10 days sick pay. The change includes all staff on campus, not just those directly employed by the College. London Citizens, an umbrella group which unites faith groups, unions, academics and local community members, was instrumental in the change. Professor Jane Wills, a reader in geography at Queen Mary with links to London Citizens, conducted much of the research that was used to build the cleaners case. She said: “Virtually every university in the UK outsources cleaning, security and catering, so the College Council has been exceptional in recognising the injustice under their noses and acting upon it.” Mathew Bolton, Project Manager for London Citizen’s Living Wage Campaign, said: “On 1 May we will be presenting Queen Mary with an award recognising it as the first living-wage campus. It’s a real achievement.” -- Andrew C G Cook (PhD Student - Post-Socialist Geographies) Department of Geography Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS E-mail: [log in to unmask]