The announcement, made today (3 November) during Living Wage Week by the Living Wage Foundation, marks the end of the first stage of Cambridge City Council’s Living Wage Campaign.
It reflects the fact that everyone working for the council (including agency workers after four weeks appointment) receives the Living Wage.
It will also mean in due course that, insofar as the law allows, employees of third-party contractors that work on the council’s premises will receive at least the national Living Wage.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate calculated independently and updated annually in November each year.
The rate is higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50, and is calculated according to the basic cost of living using what the Living Wage Foundation calls the ‘minimum income standard’ for the UK.
Decisions about what to include in this standard are made by members of the public based on what people need to make ends meet.
Cllr George Owers, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, said: “Gaining Living Wage accreditation is an important step forward in our work to tackle poverty in Cambridge.
“We know there are people struggling because of low pay and high housing and living costs. I want the council to lead the way in supporting those people and paying the Living Wage is one way of doing that.
“Now, we will start the second stage of our campaign. This will entail working with other employers across the city to show them the benefits of paying the Living Wage and how their employees and their businesses will be better off by doing so.”
Rhys Moore, Living Wage Foundation Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Cambridge City Council to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.
“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.
“We have accredited over 850 leading employers, including Cambridge City Council, ranging from independent printers, hairdressers and breweries, to well-known companies such as Nationwide, Aviva and SSE. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that.”
As part of its work to promote the benefits of the Living Wage to local employers, the council is hosting an event for Cambridge-based businesses today.
Topics for discussion will include good employment practices that support staff on low incomes, sharing experiences about best practice and how some local employers have adopted the Living Wage as a part of wider initiatives to motivate and retain staff.
The council is also set to appoint a Living Wage Co-ordinator to promote the business case for paying the Living Wage to other employers in the city.
The new post holder will co-ordinate action, research existing practices and meet with employers and business groups to promote both paying the Living Wage and seeking accreditation as a Living Wage employer.
Promoting the Living Wage is an important element of the council’s draft anti-poverty strategy which was approved for consultation on 20 October.
Consultation will run until 11.59pm on 16 January 2015 and anyone who wants to take part can find the draft strategy and further information at www.cambridge.gov.uk/anti-poverty-strategy-consultation, by emailing graham.saint@cambridge.gov.uk or calling 01223 457043.