All Student Vote (Summer 2021)

Payment of the real living wage to all SU employees

This motion asks the SU to be accredited as part of the living wage foundation scheme and lobby the University to gain the living wage foundation. 

The full text and motion can be displayed in the full description. 

This Union Notes:

1. Low pay has various definitions but in particular less than 2/3rds of the national median hourly rate [1].
2. 15 % of the population are low paid[1].
3. These figures are significantly higher in the wholesale and retail and hospitality sectors
4. 69% of 16-20-year-olds are low paid[1]
5. The Living Wage Foundation promote a higher minimum pay that is calculated to meet both daily needs but also cover unexpected emergencies- the Real Living Wage (RLW)[2].
6. 21% of the population earn less than the Real Living Wage[1].
7. These figures are significantly higher in the wholesale and retail and hospitality sectors
8. Nearly 7000 employers already pay their staff this RLW [3].
9. Unnecessary staff turnover costs the organisation money and lost profits [4, 5].

References

1.           Cominetti, N. and H. Slaughter (2020) Low Pay Britain 2020. London: Resolution Foundation. Available from: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2020/09/Low-Pay-Britain-2020.pdf  (Accessed 1st October 2020).

2.           Cominetti, N. (2020) Calculating the Real Living Wage for London and the Rest of the UK: 2020-21. London: Resolution Foundation. Available from: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2020/11/Calculating-the-Real-Living-Wage-1.pdf  (Accessed 9th November 2020).

3.           LWF (n.d.) What is the Real Living Wage. Available from: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage (Accessed 1st July 2020).

4.           Ton, Z., The Good Jobs Strategy. 2014, Boston, MA: New Harvest, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

5.           Ton, Z. and R. Huckman (2008) Managing the Impact of Employee Turnover on Performance: The Role of Process Conformance. Organization Science, 19(1): 56-68.

This Union Believes:

This section should include opinions or supporting statements for your policy.

1. Everyone should receive a ‘fair days pay for a fair day’s work’.
2. Paying all staff the RLW would enhance the reputation of the SU as an employer.
3. Paying all staff the RLW would provide real cost benefits to the SU such as reduced staff turnover.
4. The UoW should also pay all employees (direct and indirect) the RLW.

This Union Resolves:

 To direct the current sabbatical officers:

1. To produce a cost/benefit assessment for paying all employees the RLW to be brought to the first council of the 2021/22 academic year.
2. To have a binding timetable in place by October 2021 for paying all direct and indirect employees the RLW.
3. To approach the Living Wage Foundation to gain accreditation.
4. To lobby the UoW to gain LWF accreditation.

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