The Greater Manchester Living Wage Campaign will be celebrating a ~600% increase in the number of Living Wage Employers since its launch two years ago, at a special event on Monday. The event will also see the unveiling of the new Living Wage rate. The rate is currently £7.85 per hour and thousands of workers in Greater Manchester stand to receive a pay rise when the new rate is announced.
Speakers will include:
• Christian Spence, Head of Research & Policy at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the first Chamber in the company to become a Living Wage Employer
• Sara Saunby, Co-founder & owner of Salut Wines
• The Salford Youth Mayor Lewis Nelson
• Strategic Assistant Mayor of Salford, Councillor Paul Dennett
• Tom Skinner, Coordinator of the Greater Manchester Living Wage Campaign
• Caroline Reilly, Living Wage Foundation
Tom Skinner said, “The growth in awareness and support for the Living Wage in Greater Manchester has been phenomenal. It means a pay rise for thousands of the lowest-paid workers across the city region, tackling in-work poverty and boosting local economies. This is good for employers, employees and for wider society – and is something to celebrate. I’d encourage all employers in Greater Manchester to contact the campaign to see how their business can benefit from becoming a Living Wage Employer.”
Sara Saunby said, “85% of all bar staff and 70% of all sales and retail assistants are paid below a Living Wage so it would have been very easy for Salut to pay minimum wage and still get employees. But from start-up we made our minimum wage the Living Wage, being the first retailer in the whole North-West to do so. We work on the basis that if we look after our staff, they’ll look after our customers and they look after our business. We have constant feedback about how good the team is, comments on the fact that we’ve still got the same team we started with, and the customers love being recognised when they walk in. Happy folk all round!”
Councillor Paul Dennett added, “No-one should earn less than the Living Wage. Being paid the Living Wage not only makes the difference between being able to afford a decent quality of life but also makes staff feel genuinely valued, allowing staff to focus on their work and customers without having to worry about how to make ends meet.
“Salford City Council was proud to become the first local authority in Greater Manchester to pay 2000 of our staff the Living Wage and I’d like to see more private sector firms following the lead of progressive employers to make Greater Manchester a Living Wage City Region. Greater Manchester can only benefit from having more accredited Living Wage employers.”
The Living Wage Celebration Event takes place at Salford University, Media City Campus on Monday 2 November 2015, 8.15am – 11.30am.
