The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have been formally accredited as living wage employers by Living Wage Scotland.
The Living Wage commitment will see everyone who works either directly for, or who is contracted by, the SPA or Police Scotland earn more than the minimum rate of £9 an hour – significantly higher than the government minimum wage for over 25s of £8.21 per hour. Continue reading Police recognised as Living Wage employer
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has announced his intention to lower the age threshold for the National Living Wage to 21, accepting advice from the Low Pay Commission. Continue reading Chancellor makes pre-election pitch to low paid workers
RMT union kicks off justice for Mitie cleaners events in Glasgow today and urges public to sign petition for living wage.
Rail Union RMT will kick off a series of campaigning events, starting in Glasgow this morning, demanding Justice for Mitie cleaners on Network Rail Managed Stations and urging the public to sign the petition supporting a living wage for a group of crucial staff who do some of the dirtiest jobs on our railways.
The campaign highlights the fact that passengers using Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds City or Birmingham New Street stations, are passing through stations that are cleaned, day and night, by people who are surviving on poverty pay.
Network Rail has outsourced the work of cleaning many of their stations to a company called Mitie Facilities Management, part of the Mitie Group plc.
Mitie Group paid nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years – but it won’t pay its cleaners the Real Living Wage.
A recent survey carried out by RMT of Mitie workers came back with 50% of respondents saying they struggled to make ends meet. The union believes that a multi-million pound public company like Network Rail should not be allowing its contractors to pay poverty wages.
The petition can be found at:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pay-the-living-wage-to-mitie-cleaners-now
*Outside GLASGOW CENTRAL (Gordon Street Entrance) on TUESDAY 20th August 2019 – 16.00 to 18.00
*Outside EDINBURGH WAVERLEY (Market Street Entrance) on WEDNESDAY 21st August 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00
*Outside LIVERPOOL LIME STREET (Main Entrance) on FRIDAY 30th August 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00
*Outside MANCHESTER PICCADILLY (Piccadilly approach) on MONDAY 2nd September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00
*Outside LEEDS CITY STATION (Aire Street/ Wellington Street entrance) on TUESDAY 3rd September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00
*Outside BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET (near the tram stop) on WEDNESDAY 4th September 2019 – 16.30 to 18.00
RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “It is a scandal that the staff employed by outsourcing giant Mitie who clean stations for Network Rail, doing some of the dirtiest work in the rail industry at all hours of the night and day, are struggling to make ends meet and are paid below the Real Living Wage.
“A company that can pay nearly £49 million to its shareholders in dividends in the last five years for doing nothing can afford to pay its cleaners a decent wage for the work that they do.
“Mitie’s cleaners have had enough and are fighting for a real Living Wage, but they need the help of the travelling public and I would urge passengers to sign the petition and help us to persuade Mitie and Network Rail to put an end to this scandal.
“RMT will be doing all it can to support Mitie cleaners, cleaning up the vomit, human waste and the rest of the filth at our stations, in their fight to make this wealthy company do the right thing and pay its workers a Real Living Wage.”
MITIE has responded with the following statement: “Mitie is fully supportive of initiatives to pay our staff the Real Living Wage.
“We know how difficult it is to maintain a decent standard of living and take care of a family on the National Living Wage, which is why we have worked with most of our top clients to move to the Real Living Wage.
“We are in regular dialogue with Network Rail regarding pay and conditions, and will do all we can to work closely with them, and with other stakeholders such as the Business Services Association and unions where appropriate, to obtain a move to the Real Living Wage for our staff.”
With Edinburgh’s annual Fringe jamboree kicking off on Friday, campaign group Fair Fringe has launched their latest Advertising Exploitation report – exposing just how rife exploitation is throughout the festival. Continue reading Report shines light on Fringe exploitation
Ambitious targets to reduce child poverty will stall, warns charity
In its state of the nation report, Poverty in Scotland 2018 (below), the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) warns one in four (230,000) children in Scotland live in poverty. The report comes as Challenge Poverty? Aye we can! gets underway, a campaign by the Poverty Alliance which shows how poverty in Scotland can be solved and allow everyone to take part in society. Continue reading One in four Scottish children live in poverty as parents locked out of job market
The overall cost of a child over 18 years (including rent and childcare) is £150, 753 for a couple and £183,335 for a lone parent. But work doesn’t pay low-income families enough to meet a no-frills standard of living, new research from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows. Continue reading Working families falling short of minimum living standard
Plans to increase the number of people benefitting from the real Living Wage have been outlined by Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work Keith Brown. Over the next three years the Scottish Government will work with the Poverty Alliance to build a ‘Living Wage Nation’, boosting the wages of those on low pay and supporting inclusive growth.
Measures being announced include:
Mr Brown said: “We are serious about supporting fair work and putting equality at the heart of our labour market. That is why Scotland punches well above its weight in terms of the proportion of people paid at least the Living Wage.
“However we cannot become complacent. We now need to build on this success to ensure even more organisations and individuals benefit in the future.
“Our commitment to create a Living Wage Nation is challenging, but achievable, and it will help those in low-paid sectors who need it most.
“By using the Living Wage to make pay fairer and jobs more sustainable, we will support our commitments to build a more resilient economy, a more equal labour market, and foster inclusive growth.”
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, added: “It is now just over three years since the Poverty Alliance launched the drive to increase the number of accredited Living Wage employers in Scotland. Working in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and thanks to support from the Scottish Government we have seen real change.
“We have seen employers from all sectors, in companies large and small, adopt the Living Wage and do their bit to help make the economy fairer. However, despite the progress that has been made, we know there is still much to be done.
“Scotland faces real challenges in some important sectors . If we are to deliver a fair economy for all then we must begin to address these head on. We are grateful for the Scottish Government support that will allow us to take the positive message for the Living Wage to employers in all parts of Scotland and into key sectors.”
Last week Stoats was confirmed as Scotland’s 1,000th Living Wage-accredited employer. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the company’s Edinburgh HQ where she met staff and congratulated the company on gaining accreditation.
Edinburgh College receives Living Wage accreditation
The Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative has granted Living Wage employer status to Edinburgh College. Edinburgh College already paid staff the real Living Wage but receiving formal accreditation for this strengthens its commitment to fair pay for all staff. Continue reading Edinburgh College is Living Wage employer
Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work Keith Brown welcomed the new Living Wage rate and has urged more Scottish employers to become accredited. The 30 pence uplift to £8.75p will see thousands of people benefit from higher wages to help meet the increasing cost of living. Continue reading Living Wage rate rises to £8.75
Social care staff working ‘sleepover’ hours are to receive a pay increase, Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced. Care workers will now be paid the real Living Wage of £8.45 for sleepover hours, meaning the Living Wage will now be received for all hours worked. Continue reading Pay boost for social care staff: workers guaranteed Living Wage for overnight hours
