Campaigners hail Hull City Council's Living Wage move

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Tuesday, March 05, 2013
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Hull Daily Mail

East Riding campaigners have congratulated Hull City Council on its decision to adopt the policy of a Living Wage.

At its budget meeting yesterday, the authority, which is facing millions of pounds in cuts from its government grant, decided to back the principle of the Living Wage.

As a consequence, up to 1,400 of the authority's worst-paid employees will be better off.

George McManus, Labour's Parliamentary spokesman for Beverley and Holderness, said: "This is a welcome move. In spite of being forced to make cutbacks, Hull City Council has taken the principled stance of supporting the Living Wage."

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Instead of cleaners and care assistants getting the minimum wage, they will now be about £1 an hour better off.

Mr McManus said: "We've been lobbying East Riding Council to adopt the Living Wage for months but so far they've buried their heads in the sand saying it's an issue for national government."

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11 Comments

  • Profile image for arntdullinul

    by arntdullinul

    Thursday, March 07 2013, 7:25AM

    “Well Done Hull City Council! First step in the fight against using tax payers money to subsidise unscrupulous private employers who fail to pay workers the proper market rate (how ironic is that) for the job.”

  • Profile image for Jendurham

    by Jendurham

    Wednesday, March 06 2013, 11:24AM

    “York has also agreed to the living wage. The government want to make the poor poorer and their rich cronies richer, so if we wait for the government to make it law we will be waiting for ever.”

  • Profile image for Col18

    by Col18

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 7:19PM

    “Living Wage is often an idealistic wage, given the fact the cash is no longer there. If its taken from other budgets, earned through a tax rise, or savings, fair enough. To start seriously thinking theres going to wage equality nirvana is to head down the path Labour took in the 2000s, spending at levels which bankrupt the nation and was the reason we are where we are.

    Perhaps the big earning fat cat council managers might support their comrades even more be donating a few grand from their generous salaries-as theres no new cash out there, a bit of wage equality would help, isnt that what Labours all about? Perhaps not, given the high earning cronyism of millionaire Blair and his highness Prescott.”

  • Profile image for RamonaFlowers

    by RamonaFlowers

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 4:41PM

    “If you give an extra £1 per hour to 1400 people it doesn't sound like much but that £1 costs the tax payer £1400 every hour or £56,000 a week or £242,666 a month or £2,912,000 a year.

    So that £1 per hour for 1400 people costs the tax payer nearly 3 million pounds a year. How many old peoples homes have to close to pay for the wage rise or how many more policemen, nurses or teachers could that money have paid for.”

  • Profile image for unified

    by unified

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 1:26PM

    “RAMONA FLOWERS

    If that's your business name, no more business from me, if people had more in their pocket, they may put more in yours dumbo.”

  • Profile image for ColinInglis

    by ColinInglis

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 1:05PM

    “As I said at the Council meeting, I cannot understand the TU's campaign on this. They are trying to "persuade" employers to adopt the Living Wage, instead of campaigning to get the Government to make the level of the Living Wage the Minimum Wage, which would then be legally enforceable.
    Hopefully someone will be able to explain this strange approach to me?”

  • Profile image for kwright

    by kwright

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 12:08PM

    “brillant move ,whilst most people in this city are stuck on minmium wages ,due to hull paying low wages , the council decides to look after its own ,so now those not working in the public sector will be funding those in it in some form ,along with the pensions ,no surprise this council always find money to throw money about when it wants ,what you doing for the rest of the tax payers ,oh yeah putting up every thing”

  • Profile image for VicMay

    by VicMay

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 9:37AM

    “Well done to Hull City Council, leading by example. The living wage is just that, what you need to "survive" on. So less people will be dependant on benefits to top them up. Now the government and the consumer needs to pressure more companies to pay a living wage. For far too long companies like Tescos pay the minimum wage and rely on the tax payer to top up the wages of their staff.”

  • Profile image for RamonaFlowers

    by RamonaFlowers

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 9:12AM

    “The council are very generous with 'our' money.

    Maybe if it was their own pocket the money was coming from they would think twice before giving unnecessary wage rises.”

  • Profile image for sparky0138

    by sparky0138

    Tuesday, March 05 2013, 7:38AM

    “Come on East Riding Council - your turn next!”

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