Liverpool workers not paid Living Wage despite pledge

Workers at Liverpool are not being paid the “real” Living Wage despite the club promising “all of its staff and workers” would receive it this season, an investigation by The Daily Telegraph has found.

The club last night admitted that not all adults who carry out work there would be paid an independently-calculated Living Wage of £8.75 per hour after The Telegraph uncovered jobs at Anfield being advertised for the statutory minimum of £7.38.

Liverpool said in November that their entire workforce would receive the Living Wage from June, with chief executive Peter Moore saying: “We hope that this development demonstrates how highly we value all of those who work for Liverpool Football Club in whatever capacity that may be.”

What they failed to disclose until last night, however, is that this pledge excluded workers employed through third-party contractors, who it has been claimed make up a substantial percentage of any club’s workforce. The refusal of all but two Premier League teams to ensure all such workers were paid the real Living Wage was branded “obscene” by campaigners last year following another Telegraph investigation into the scale of clubs’ reliance on cheap casual labour.

But it was a further probe this week into teams who had either become or – as in Liverpool’s case – were seeking to become accredited Living Wage Employers that revealed workers at Anfield were still not receiving the figure.

An online search for jobs at the club found an “event steward” advert from sub-contractor Stadiumtm offering the legal minimum of £7.38 per hour to under-25s and £7.83 for over-25s.

To establish whether these hourly rates were correct, The Telegraph called Stadiumtm yesterday posing as a 20-year-old applicant for the role being advertised.

The Stadiumtm representative said the starting hourly rate would be £7.38, incorrectly asserting he thought that was “just above minimum wage”, as well as adding it would be £7.83 for anyone over 25.

Liverpool last night insisted the pledge they made in November had always been limited to their own directly-employed staff and had not included subcontracted workers, whom they nevertheless revealed they were working towards ensuring were also paid the Living Wage.

A spokesperson said: “Some workers are employed through third-party contractors and, as part of our commitment, we are working with our suppliers to ensure that, within a maximum of three years, all third-party workers are paid the real Living Wage if they are not already.”

The Telegraph also found West Ham United advertising a vacancy for less than the London Living Wage of £10.20 per hour, more than eight months after they became just the third member of the world’s richest league to become an accredited Living Wage Employer.

The club changed the starting hourly rate in the “foundation sessional coach” advert from £10 to £10.20 yesterday – a week after first being alerted to the discrepancy – on what was the closing date for applications for the job.

A West Ham spokesman said the salary had been “incorrectly published”, adding they were “proud” to pay the London Living Wage.