Fair Pay Fortnight enters its second week today. And with it comes the shocking revelation that five million workers – about 20% of the British workforce – are earning less than the living wage.
There has been much talk in recent days about falling inflation, but this belies the fact that in-work poverty is an enormous problem that the government has failed to get to grips with.
Working families continue to be squeezed hard, with real wages in free fall since 2010.
According to the Office for National Statistics, that’s the longest period of falling pay for 50 years. In local government alone, as many as half a million workers earn less than the living wage.
Women have been disproportionally affected and many, out of necessity, are being forced to work more than one job to make ends meet.
The idea behind a living wage is very simple – that a person should be paid enough to live decently and to provide for their family.
It takes into account the area-specific cost of living, as well as the basic essentials needed to support a family. It can mean the difference between living and existing.
UNISON successfully campaigned for the national minimum wage in the 1990s, and we continue to campaign hard for public service employers to pay a living wage.
A living wage is not just vital for creating a strong and respected workforce. It’s the key to stamping out in-work poverty.
