London Mayor Ken Livingstone has today published figures suggesting that the wage Londoner’s need to earn to avoid poverty has risen to £7.20 per hour.
Announcing the figures Mayor Livingstone said it was “simply unacceptable that about one in seven of London’s full-time workers and almost half our part-time workers are paid less than the London Living Wage.”
“Since the establishment of a recognised London Living Wage, employers and unions are increasingly using it in negotiations and setting wage rates.”
The Mayor’s support for higher pay in the capital has been echoed by employers and Unions alike.
Steve Hart, T&G Regional Secretary, said “Hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers struggle to survive and raise their families in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The creation of the London living wage was a bold move by the Mayor and it is the minimum that responsible employers should be paying to keep their workforce out of poverty.”
Highlighting how his company had sought to implement the higher wage Ian Tew, Head of Workplace at KPMG said the company had :ensured since March 2006 that all cleaners who, although employed by third parties, work at our London offices have the appropriate London Living Wage employment conditions plus allowance for inflation.”
Mr Tew went on to say “similar Living wage employment conditions were given to all on-site supplier staff such as catering, mailroom and security from 1 October 2006” adding that the company “has found that paying the Living Wage is a smart business move as increasing wages has reduced staff turnover.”
