Town hall pledges to get workers on Living Wage

MANCHESTER council has been accredited as a ‘Living Wage Employer.’

The Real Living Wage is considered to be the minimum amount a person needs to earn to live and reflects the cost of living today - currently set at £9 per hour.

The amount is recalculated every year to take into account the rising costs of living. The council has committed to meeting the new Real Living Wage as quickly as possible, it said.

Council staff currently earn a minimum of £9.51 per hour and the majority of the town hall’s contracts are with suppliers who have committed to paying the Real Living Wage, it said.

For contractors who have not yet formally committed to this, the council is working to include a future commitment to paying the Real Living Wage as part of any new tender process.

The town hall also highlighted that its procurement arrangements also include a ‘social value’ commitment by contractors, demonstrating how they will help improve Manchester.

Coun Carl Ollerhead said: “As one of the biggest employers in the city, it is important that we lead by example to ensure our staff are given a decent living wage.

“We will continue to use our influence across the city to urge other employers to do the same to help tackle and alleviate poverty, particularly for people who are working hard, so that ultimately we can try to create a more equal city.”

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Manchester council has joined the movement of over 5,500 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“These businesses recognise that paying the Real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Manchester council, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay,” she said.