Living Wage 5

Fair tax 1

Every week in this column we celebrate five organisations willing to pay the Real Living Wage. This is a voluntary rate set by the independent Living Wage Foundation, which is higher than the government’s ‘national living wage’. Current rates are £8.75 an hour outside London and £10.20 an hour in the capital.

This week, we welcome indie television company CPL Productions in London, iCOM print management in Cardiff, ACM waste management, Warwickshire County Branch of UNISON and Global RadioData Communications in Hereford.

Jeremy Corbyn has joined the Mirror in calling for Chancellor Philip Hammond to commit to spending £1bn to fit sprinklers to all council and housing association high-rises. This should have happened after fires in Lakanal House, Southwark, and Shirley Towers in Southampton cost lives. It is an obscenity that months after Grenfell only 2% of the UK’s 4,000 tower blocks have sprinklers. Join the fight at labour.org. uk /makehomessafe The Fair Tax Mark is the UK’s official accreditation scheme for businesses paying their fair share of corporation tax and reporting on their practices transparently. Around £12billion is lost to the public purse each year via corporate tax avoidance.

This week’s tax heroes are Paper Tiger, a specialist retailer with two stores in Edinburgh selling cards, stationery, gifts and toys. They are also Living Wage certified.