Council pledges to make living wage a priority
30 September 2008
Norwich City Council has voted to support World Day for Decent Work and make the creation of a Living Wage for workers in Norwich a priority.
In a motion put to the Norwich City Council meeting on 30 September by Green Councillor Samir Jeraj, the Council pledged its support to the World Day for Decent Work on 7th October 2008. It also agreed to put issues around decent work, including low wages, poverty and inequality in the city, at the core of its agenda.
The motion was proposed and supported by the thirteen-strong Green Party Group on Norwich City Council. Labour and LibDem councillors also supported the motion, but Conservative councillors abstained.
Councillor Jeraj said:
"I'm delighted our motion gained the support of the council. Low pay is a particular problem in Norwich and East Anglia as a whole. Working people in Norwich can experience many problems, including low wages, financial exclusion, inequality, difficulties claiming benefits and pressure from doorstep lenders charging up to 1000% interest. It is important that the council makes tackling these issues a high priority."
Adrian Ramsay, Deputy Leader of the Green Party nationally and Leader of the Green Party Group on Norwich City Council, said:
"Gaining a Living Wage for Norwich would go a long way to addressing poverty and inequality in the city. The London Living Wage Unit, set up thanks to Green Assembly Members, has lifted many people out of poverty wages, and has been credited with improving productivity, reducing sickness and boosting the local economy. I hope we will make similar progress in Norwich.
"The administration on Norwich City Council was already committed to the principle of a Living Wage. I hope the motion will ensure it is made a priority and detailed plans for taking the matter forward are brought forward as soon as possible. A first step must be ensuring that the council is leading by example in terms of fair pay for council workers and people working for CityCare and other companies doing work for the council."
Greens nationally have made campaigning for a Living Wage a key priority for action. The London Living Wage is now £7.45 per hour, more than £1.70 more than the National Minimum Wage. In Oxford, Greens have succeeded in passing a motion through the City Council, bringing in a living wage of £7 per hour for council workers there.
And in Lewisham, the six strong Green Group is proposing a paying the London Living Wage to all council employees, and is proposing extending this to all council contractors as well.
Campaigners for a Living Wage argue that the minimum wage is in fact a poverty wage in most areas of the UK. Of children living in poverty across the country, 57% have one or both of their parents in work, but their wages are not enough to support their families.
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