Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson has claimed that only four councils in London have implemented the London Living Wage.
The claim follows a series of Freedom of Information requests by the Green Party which suggest that at least 165 directly employed council staff are still paid less than the London Living Wage.
Mr Johnson called on Mayor of London Boris Johnson to “press the boroughs for action”, adding that “is shameful that most boroughs still have cleaners, carers and park wardens working below the bread line” five years after the London Living Wage was introduced.
Johnson’s call came on the same day Mayor Boris Johnson announced the London Living Wage would increase by 25p to £7.85 per hour. The Mayor also announced that Deloitte, Nomura, Prudential and Standard Chartered has signed up to wage.
Announcing the increased London Living Wage rate at City Hall on Monday, Mayor Johnson said: “The capital relies on the work of many who carry out the city’s essential functions on a daily basis – from office cleaners to care-workers in social services. It is right that their skills and commitment to London’s success are recognised, and one of the most fundamental ways of doing this is to ensure that all Londoners are paid properly. That means receiving at least the London Living Wage, which is designed to combat poverty and also ensure that people are better off in work than out of work.”