Living Wage Week

I have been Sent the following communication from the GMB union regarding Living Wage Week: "SUPPORT LIVING WAGE WEEK 2014 GMB, along with our campaign partners, will be celebrating Living Wage week 2014 on 3rd - 9th November. In the week the new living wage rate is announced, we’ll be spreading the word on the successes of the campaign so far in lifting thousands out of in-work poverty, boosting local communities and improving service delivery. The living wage is hourly rate of pay, set independently and calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Up and down the country councils have decided to become living wage employers - so far 85 in England and Wales have implemented or committed to pay the Living Wage, along with all Scottish councils. The benefits of councils paying the living wage include: - Lifting council workers out of in-work poverty; - Boosting the local economy – council workers spend more than half of their earnings in the local community; - Improving staff retention and morale, meaning better services for residents and savings to the council as an employer. Because of these benefits, the living wage campaign has received cross party support, with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Mayor of London all endorsing it. It is also the subject of a major TUC campaign. The savings in recruitment and training costs, together with the other benefits, mean that the policy makes sense even in the difficult funding climate currently afflicting local government. As we prepare for the celebrations of Living Wage Week, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know about the benefits, and ask whether you will consider championing the Living Wage in your authority. If you are supportive but would like more detail on the benefits to help convince your colleagues please get in touch, and if you’d like to protest against your authorities failure to implement the Living Wage GMB can help to promote this in the media. Equally if your authority has implemented or committed to implement the Living Wage and you want to add your voice to the supporters, again please do let us know. It’s GMB’s ambition for all workers to be paid a living wage. We’ve a long way to go but the success we’ve had so far in local authorities is a huge step forward. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to make Living Wage Week 2014 the best yet."