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Union urges council chiefs to pay contractors a ‘living wage’
‘For too long they have turned their back on moral responsibilities’
THE minimum wage for contract workers at the council should be raised by two pounds an hour, say union bosses.
Westminster Unison claims Westminster Council pays the lowest rates out of any local authority in London, with hundreds of key workers on the breadline.
The union is calling for a hike in wages for the hundreds of staff working as cleaners, security guards and catering staff on the lowest pay-scale of £5.52 per hour.
They want employment chiefs to build the London Living Wage – which currently stands at £7.45 per hour after being introduced by Ken Livingstone in 2005 – into the procurement code for future contracts.
Westminster Unison branch secretary Phil Vaughn said: “It’s time for Westminster City Council to outlaw poverty pay for workers providing services for Westminster residents. For too long the council has turned its back on its moral responsibilities to private sector workers. If Boris [Johnson] can do it, so can [council leader] Colin Barrow.”
The London Living Wage was aimed at providing for the higher cost of living in the capital. Following his election victory as mayor of London, Boris Johnson announced the wage would apply to all Greater London Authority (GLA) staff and all contractors and sub-contractors working on the 2012 Olympic Project.
So far, 27 organisations, including the GLA, the Metropolitan Police, Barclays Bank, and Tower Hamlets and Ealing councils have signed up to pay their staff the London Living Wage. Other councils, including Lewisham, Newham and Richmond have made a commitment to introduce the higher pay-scale in the future.
Labour councillors at Westminster City Hall have rallied behind Unison’s cry for fairer pay.
Leader of the Labour group Paul Dimoldenberg said: “At a time of real economic difficulties we support improved pay and conditions for Westminster’s lowest paid staff and call on the council to follow Boris Johnson’s example and agree to adopt the London Living Wage as a matter of urgency.”
Councillor Melvyn Caplan, Westminster Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Westminster Council has been asked by Unison to consider requiring all our contractors to pay their staff the London Living Wage and we are currently looking at this request.
“All staff who are directly employed by the council are paid at or above the London Living Wage. We recognise that this contributes to better recruitment and a workforce with a high morale.
“Our aim is to be an employer of choice and to keep improving opportunities for staff.
“We have also introduced a simplified grading structure, with clear career paths and transparent criteria for progression.” |
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