Catering staff employed at the Barbican Arts Centre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama are set to get a pay rise after the City of London Corporation signed a new contract with BaxterStorey Ltd .
Under the new deal, staff at both venues will be paid at least the London Living Wage of £8.55 per hour.
The London Living Wage is calculated by the Greater London Authority as the minimum income level Londoners need to meet the additional costs of living in the capital.
The wage was adopted in 2005 by former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone after a campaign by London Citizens and continued by current Mayor Boris Johnson. City Hall says firms and bodies paying the LLW benefit from reduced staff turnover and higher staff morale.
Last year the City Corporation, which pays its own staff at or above the London Living Wage level, said it supported “in principle” ensuring staff employed by contractors also benefited.
Elected City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Mark Boleat said: “This contract – which affects catering staff – is the first example of this policy turning into a change in wages, and I welcome that.
“Other larger contracts, notably the cleaning contract at the City of London Corporation’s Barbican arts centre – which comes up for re-tendering in 2014 – will be reviewed case-by-case as they come up.”
Paying the LLW will add around £60,000 to the cost of the contract with BaxterStorey Ltd
