Your say / Politics
A living wage is not too much to ask for
This comment article is written by Glenn Vowles, associate lecturer in environment at Open University
Wages that can be lived on is not too much to ask for but millions in the UK don’t receive pay that covers the cost of living. One in five employed in Bristol are in this situation, while the very rich are getting even richer.
The Living Wage Foundation, which promotes the adoption of a living wage, says the value is now £7.85 per hour (£9.15 in London). The national minimum wage though is just £6.50 for those over 21 years old, and far less for younger workers or apprentices.
This significant difference between the living wage and the minimum wage leaves many people unable to meet their needs; dependent on squeezed benefits; taking on dodgy loans; and getting into debt, with growing numbers using food banks.
Unlike the living wage, the unfair minimum wage doesn’t tackle poverty. Being fair means meeting needs now and into the future; being decent, caring and honest in paying what is due. Meeting needs now and into the future is at the core of sustainability.
After pressure from campaigners, including Greens, Labour and Liberal Democrats, Bristol City Council agreed, with mayor George Ferguson’s approval, to become a living wage employer this September and the council’s pay policy was amended. The council has yet to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer however, but is on the right road, unlike many other employers.
Political leaders at the national level sign up to the principle of the living wage. The current Conservative/Liberal Coalition and previous Labour governments however have presided over the development of a large pool of labour which is paid poverty wages.
Tony Dyer puts it well, observing that under a Labour Government in 2004 Bristol South had two of the 10 most deprived neighbourhoods in the city, and by 2010 it had eight. He describes how this is not just due to unemployment, given that Bristol South has an employment rate of 79%, above both the city and UK average.
The deprivation is significantly due to Bristol South wages being well below the UK average with more than 20 per cent earning below the living wage. He advocates turning the minimum wage into a genuine living wage, thus enabling people to meet the cost of living and lead decent lives.
We need to aspire to widening what is included in the assessment of a living wage, and to reducing the difference between the minimum and maximum wages earned.
Needs are those factors required to enable people not just to survive but to thrive, flourish and prosper. What we need goes beyond the basics of food, water, warmth and shelter. Needs extend to the range of physical, mental and social factors that produce wellbeing. The promotion of wellbeing and the ability to meet present and future needs is the key feature of building a society that is sustainable.
is needed now More than ever
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