Citizens Action Wins Big Pay Rise for Cardiff Airport Workers... But Not Until 2020. We Don't Want Jam Tomorrow: We Want the Real Living Wage Today!
Photo: Rev Catherine Brobbey (Vale of Glamorgan Methodist Circuit) and Jess Maddocks offer packs of Jammie Dodgers to passengers entering Cardiff Airport.
Citizens Cymru Wales organised a Jammie Dodger-themed action at Cardiff Airport on May 1st 2018 to call on the Chief Executive, Deb Barber, to stop dodging the meeting she had promised local Citizens leaders before Christmas, to stop promising 'jam tomorrow', and instead deliver a Real Living Wage for Airport Workers by Living Wage Week in November 2018.
The Jammie Dodger Action prompted the Airport to issue a statement pledging to introduce the Real Living Wage for its workers by April 2020 (with an interim increase in April 2019). If this happens it could mean a pay rise of 12% for Security Workers based on the likely Real Living Wage figure in April 2020. We understand that Deb Barber has asked to meet with the Living Wage Foundation's Accreditation Partner in Wales, Cynnal Cymru, which is another positive development.
It is too early to start celebrating, especially as the Airport's workers will have received seven years worth of publicly-funded poverty pay before they finally get the Real Living Wage in April 2020. Another two years is too long to wait, so we need to keep the pressure on for the Airport to accredit by Living Wage Week in November this year. As Leanne Wood AM said when she raised our campaign at First Minister's Questions in the Senedd after the action, we need 'deeds, not warm words' from Cardiff Airport.
Photo: Ali Abdi and Richard Weaver (now Community Organisers with Citizens Cymru Wales) were both involved as leaders in the original Cardiff City FC Living Wage campaign in 2015.
Please co-sign the letter from Manchester Citizens to Ed Woodward, Executive Vice Chairman, Manchester United. Scroll down and add your name.
We are writing as representatives of the community - including individual members and institutions of Manchester Citizens, as well as local people, and some of your club's official supporter organisations from around the UK - to request a meeting with you to discuss how we can work together to see Manchester United FC become a real Living Wage employer.
We're asking you to do the right thing on behalf of the lowest paid staff at Manchester United football club, who have told us of their struggles on low pay in a time when football players are receiving a king's ransom in wages every week.
Supporters of a campaign initiated by security workers at Cardiff Airport held a protest today calling for the airport to become an accredited Living Wage employer - and ensure that all airport workers are lifted out of poverty pay.
Last year, we announced the fantastic decision by Heathrow Airport to become the world's first Living Wage airport, a decision taken by management that ensures the business is doing the right thing and its workers can live in dignity.
I wanted to tell you a bit about the story of how West London Citizens got there, after years of painstaking organising work, in the hope that others can take inspiration from this story in their own Living Wage organising.
In the summer of 2016 West London Citizens (WLC) was campaigning to get Heathrow airport to sign up as a Living Wage employer. The campaign had already been running for two years but needed a boost.
Campaigners are inviting the Minister for Sport and fans to support call for Chairman Greg Clarke to put forward a plan to implement the real Living Wage at the FA's next board meeting.
Over 2,000 workers are reported to receive below the London Living Wage of £10.20 an hour, with the majority as low as £7.50 an hour with those under 18 earning even less.
Thank you for backing Citizens UK's Living Wage campaign.
You can take online action right now. Young people from the Wembley area have undertaken research to reveal the shocking pay-gap their parents, some of whom work at the stadium, face and met outside the Stadium to sing Living Wage themed football chants to launch the Living Wage For All Campaign.
Ark Academy School, part of Citizens UK alliance Brent Citizens, are calling for Football Association Chairman Greg Clarke to put forward a plan to implement the London Living Wage at the FA's next board meeting.
Can you help the workers and schoolchildren put pressure on the Football Association to help low-paid staff?
Community leaders from Manchester Citizens call foul play on low pay at Old Trafford as the January 2018 winter transfer window closes with record outlays and sky-high player salaries.
As Manchester United is once again named as the richest club in the world, life on low pay for sub-contracted workers at the Theatre of Dreams is a very real nightmare.
Sign our open letter calling for Manchester United to become an accredited Living Wage employer here.
Picture shows young people making music at a project run by Brighter Sound in Manchester, funded by Youth Music. Brighter Sound is a Living Wage Employer.
National Charity Youth Music is leading the way by joining the Living Wage Foundation's new scheme for charity funders –the first arts and cultural funder to do so. The scheme recognises funders that commit to supporting charities by funding posts at the Living Wage or above.
Youth Music invests in music-making projects for children and young people experiencing challenging circumstances. The charity supports around 350 projects across England, reaching more than 75,000 participants aged 0-25 each year. Projects funded by Youth Music work with young people in complicated situations, helping them to develop personally and socially as well as musically.
Youth Music is a designated distributor of public funding from the National Lottery via Arts Council England, and fundraises from a variety of other sources. As a Living Wage Friendly Funder, Youth Music will support successful applicants to pay the Living Wage to any grant-funded staff posts. Youth Music will also encourage grantholders to become accredited employers.
This report was published in 2015 as an investigation into retailers pay practices and the taxpayer subsidy.
Please note all figures used in this report are from 2015 and hence should be seen as a snapshot from that time and not indicative of current pay practices or public subsidies. To date only one major supermarket, Aldi, is paying the real and London Living Wage to in-house staff. However Aldi does not pay the real Living Wage to contract staff.
In 2018 Sainsburys moved to paying above the real Living Wage to in-house staff outside of London (at £9.20 an hour). We are not aware of whether they pay the London Living Wage to staff in London, or if they pay a real Living Wage to contract staff.
The Real and London Living Wage are calculated as the minimum needed to meet the cost of living in the UK and London.