PRESS RELEASE FOR RELEASE 30.10.17

MK leads UK on Real Living Wage

MK businesses are punching well above their weight as fair pay employers. Statistics published by the national Living Wage Foundation show MK has more than double the number of accredited Living Wage employers - those who have won accreditation from the national Living Wage Foundation - than the UK average for a population its size.

Across the UK more than 3,500 employers have gained accreditation for paying all their employees and contract workers the Real Living Wage. This is thevoluntary pay rate which is independently calculated to be the amount needed for a decent standard of living (currently £8.45 per hour outside London) and is above the minimum wage required by law for over-25s (£7.50).

In MK, 46 employers are already accredited, which is nearly 150% above the national average. These include Santander, The Open University, MK Council and MK Community Foundation. 14 are in the private sector and 19 employ less than 10 people. More than 1,500 MK employees have benefitted directly.

“Having to do two jobs was difficult,” said Muna Elmi, who works as a cleaner for Facillicom Services at the Open University. “It was scary returning home late from my second job and cold in winter with just a cheap winter coat. Since being paid the real Living Wage, life is less of a struggle. I have more time, I have less stress, I can afford better winter clothes.”

According to national statistics, 58% of Living Wage accredited employers saw an improvement in the motivation of staff following accreditation.

“For us it’s been a win-win situation,” said Ben Stapleton of KPMG, one of MK’s first accredited Living Wage employers. “We have found our staff are less stressed, more confident and see their families more often. From a business and economic perspective, we benefit in that the turnover of our contracted staff has halved and we are paying less in recruitment fees. Staff morale is higher and productivity has increased.”

Nationally 50% of employers reported that paying the Real Living Wage had improved their recruitment and retention, and 82% said it had enhanced their general reputation.

Nick Mann, Managing Director of Interdirect, who recently signed up for accreditation, said: “Many MK employers are already paying at least the real living wage to their employers, so it costs no extra and gives them valuable CSR credibility and helps attract better employees.”

Bart Gamber, Director of Programmes at MK Community Foundation, said: “For the first time the majority of families living in poverty are working families. Minimum wage is poverty wage, that’s why we support the Real Living Wage, to give people a decent standard of living.”

John Best, Chair of charity Arts Gateway, said: “All too often artists and creatives are expected to work for next to nothing. Paying the Living Wage puts down a marker that where people work for us we`ll offer more than the statutory minimum.”

Cllr Peter Marland, Leader of MK Council, said: “It is only right that every worker gets a decent day’s pay for a decent day’s work. MK should become the first Living Wage city.”

But there are still approximately 23,000 workers in MK who live below the voluntary Living Wage Rate per hour (£8.45). That’s why Citizens:mk, an alliance of MK faith organisations, schools and other voluntary groups, is campaigning to increase the number of accredited Living Wage employers. Citizens:mk has published online a list of the MK’s 46 accredited Living Wage employers ( wage) and is striving to reach the target of 50 by the end of 2017, to celebrate MK’s 50th birthday.

Cllr Peter Marland, Leader of MK Council, said: “It is only right that every worker gets a decent day’s pay for a decent day’s work. MK should become the first Living Wage city.”

On 7 November, global law firm Dentons will host a Living Wage Business Breakfast for MK’s accredited Living Wage employers and others, at their offices on Midsummer Boulevard. The choir of Summerfield Primary School will open the event with a new song, ‘Pay the Living Wage’,especially written for the celebration.

"The Real Living Wage is about giving all workers a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work,” said Debbie Wilson, who has led the campaign for five years. “I am certain we can still achieve 50 accredited Real Living Wage employers by the end of MK’s 50th birthday year. We just need four more companies to sign up".

If you are interested in hearing more about the accreditation process, or you would like to attend the breakfast to hear from accredited Living Wage employers on the benefits that being an accredited employercan bring,and from some of the individuals for whom this accreditation has made a real difference, please email Debbie Wilson or call 07904 527653.

ENDS

For further information, contact:

  • Debbie Wilson, Living Wage Campaign Leader, 07904 527653,
  • Tom Bulman, Community Organiser, 07962 838685,
  • Tina Crawford, Practice Manager, tel 0207 320 3990,

Photo of campaigners celebrating with LUSH staff following their Living Wage accreditation

Photo from last year’s Living Wage Business Breakfast, also hosted by Dentons.

Citizens:mk

Citizens:mk is a chapter of Citizens UK, a national charity which works to develop the capacity and skills of communities so they can improve their neighbourhood and participate more fully in society. Launched in 2010, Citizens:mkworks to develop the capacity and skills of MK’s socially and economically disadvantaged communities. Citizens:mk is a membership organisation, currently with 21 institutions currently in membership including churches, mosques, schools and other community groups. 270 people attended the Citizens:mk Accountability Assembly in April 2017. Current campaigns are: Living Wage, Fight Against Hate, Mental Health and Redways Relaunch. More information at

Citizens UK

  • Has trained more than 7,000 community leaders in the art and practice of community organising and leadership.
  • Supports 45 professional Organisers working with more than 350 local institutions – schools, colleges, faith groups, trade union branches, diaspora communities, health centres and traders associations.
  • Co-ordinates major campaigns such as the Living Wage Campaign now delivering £200m in higher wages to 45,000 families across the UK; Citizens for Sanctuarywhich has persuaded the Home Office to invest more than £750,000 in the renovation of the UK’s largest immigration centre; CitySafe, an urban project linking community-rooted organisations with youth and shopkeepers, which has created 300 CitySafe havens across the capital; and an Olympics Legacy campaign which has negotiated a series of Peoples’ Guarantees including a £2m local academy for construction workers.

More information at

About the Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support.

The London Living Wage is currently £9.75 per hour (new rate to be announced on 31st October 2017). This figure is set annually by the Greater London Authority and covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £8.45 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

The Living Wage Foundation (LWF) recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. We believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty.

LWF is an initiative of Citizens UK. We receive guidance and advice from the Living Wage Advisory Council. The Foundation is supported by ten principal partners: Aviva; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; KPMG; Linklaters; Nationwide; Nestle; Resolution Foundation; Save the Children; Trust for London; and Queen Mary University of London.

What about the Government’s national ‘living wage’?

Last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government will introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. This new government rate is a minimum wage premium rate for staff over 25 years old. It was introduced in April 2016 at £7.20 per hour. The rate is separate to the Living Wage rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rate is calculated according to the cost of living.

The National Minimum Wage
(including the ‘national living wage’) / The Living Wage
The legal minimum an employee can earn in an hour. Employers break the law if they fail to pay this rate / A voluntary rate that employers commit to pay in order to go above and beyond. The Living Wage Employer Mark is a sign of best practice
The ‘national living wage’ rate will be £7.20 an hour / The current UK Living Wage is £8.25 an hour.
The current London Living Wage is £9.40 an hour* to be increased Monday 31st October 9am.
Thiswill increase each year, with the aim of reaching 60% of the median wage across the country by 2020 (this would mean around £9 an hour but the Low Pay Commission will consider what the market can bear) / This will increase in line with the cost of living with increases announced in Living Wage Week every year
Different rates apply depending on the age of the employee. The ‘national living wage’ is for over 25s only / The Living Wage is the same for all employees over the age of 18
Set by the Low Pay Commission / Set by the Living Wage Foundation
Based on an estimation of what the market can bear / Based on the cost of living
The rates are the same right across the UK / There is a separate rate for London to reflect the higher cost of living in the Capital