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Over 6,000 Southwark workers get bump in their wage packet as council tackles low pay

4 September 2024

  • Over 360 Southwark employers pay their staff the London Living Wage of £13.15 per hour
  • It follows Southwark Council setting up the borough’s first Living Wage Unit
  • Staff in the Living Wage unit were among the finalists for the Local Champion Award at this year’s Living Wage Awards

Southwark now has over 360 accredited employers who pay the London Living Wage thanks to the support of the council’s Living Wage Unit. This has meant over 6,000 Southwark workers have benefitted from a pay rise.

Over the last three years, £614,000 has been added to Southwark’s economy because of workers receiving a wage uplift on to the London Living Wage.

In March 2020, Southwark became the first London borough to become a Living Wage Place in recognition of the council’s work with communities and businesses to tackle low pay.

To build upon this success, the council pledged to set up a dedicated team to further promote fair pay across Southwark as part of their delivery plan.

Since 2022, the Southwark Living Wage Unit has lead on efforts to expand take uptake of the London Living Wage in the borough and encourage businesses to get accredited as Living Wage Employers through the Living Wage Foundation’s scheme.

With the Southwark Living Wage Unit’s support, 363 accredited employers now pay the London Living Wage with 95 new accreditations in the last 12 months. Many of them had their sign up fees to the accreditation scheme covered through the council’s Living Wage Grant Scheme, which is open to businesses with 250 employees or less until March 2026.

Most recently staff in the Southwark Living Wage unit were among the finalists for the Local Champion Award at the Living Wage Awards 2024, which celebrate individuals, teams, and organisations that are making outstanding contributions to the Living Wage movement.

Two other Southwark-based organisations picked up awards:

Borough Market won in the hospitality category. They have been actively engaging and supporting businesses based at the market. There are now 27 accredited Living Wage Employers who trade there.

Youth Music won in the creative and cultural category. Youth Music is a charity based in Bankside, they support music organisations across the UK and campaign for fair pay in the sector.

Cllr John Batteson, cabinet member for climate emergency, jobs and business, said: “We said we would set up a taskforce to support more local employers to pay the London Living Wage. We did this and now over 6,000 workers have got a pay rise, meaning a £614k boost for the local economy. We are particularly proud of this vital work at a time when people have found it so hard to make ends meet.

“Our Living Wage Unit works closely with universities, property developers, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), charities, and other businesses of various sizes to make Southwark a fairer and better place to work and live. It was amazing to see our collective efforts gain national recognition at this year’s Living Wage Awards and I look forward to seeing more employers in Southwark become Living Wage accredited in the years ahead”.

Jane Swift, chief executive at Borough Market: "We're very proud to be a Living Wage champion in the hospitality sector. Borough Market is run by a charitable trust whose purpose is to serve the community. Our staff are a fundamental part of that community and ensuring their needs are met - by paying them properly and giving them the comfort of knowing that their pay will keep pace with the cost of living - is crucial. We're also proud to be a Living Hours accredited employer and are working towards our Living Pension accreditation. Our traders have been amazing by following our lead and we now have more than 30 Living Wage accredited traders in the market.''

Bosco Katabazi, cleaner at Borough Market: “I can afford to pay my bills and pay my bills on time. That’s because I work for a company that pays the London Living Wage.”

Employers pay the London Living Wage on a voluntary basis. A survey of Living Wage Employers found that:

  • 94% reported having benefited from their accreditation
  • 87% say it improved their reputation
  • 60% said it improved retention rates of employees
  • 62% say it improved recruitment of employees into their business

Apply to become an accredited London Living Wage employer at www.livingwage.org.uk

Newly accredited Living Wage Employers with 250 employees or less in Southwark can get their sign up fees covered by Southwark Council. For more information, contact SouthwarkBusinessDesk@southwark.gov.uk

Page last updated: 04 September 2024

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