Real Living Wage: Greater Manchester unveils target for all businesses to pay it by 2030

Greater Manchester has unveiled a target to make sure all businesses in the city-region are paying the Real Living Wage by 2030.

Political leaders , workers and business representatives gathered at the People’s History Museum in Manchester to mark the start of Living Wage Week 2021.

Promises were also made to increase take-up of the Real Living Wage and Greater Manchester’s efforts in this direction have been officially recognised.

To mark the start of Living Wage Week 2021 a protest was held calling for care home workers to receive higher salaries.

What was the event in Manchester for Living Wage Week 2021?

The event at the People’s History Museum brought together Greater Manchester leaders, businesses and employers to discuss its plans to further roll out the Real Living Wage.

Greater Manchester aims to increase the number of accredited living wage employers from 384 to 650 in three years, with all businesses paying the Real Living Wage by 2030.

Leaders said they are making strides to ensure that employees across all 10 boroughs are paid a real living wage and offered good contracts and working conditions.

And the city-region’s progress towards this targeted has been recognised by the Living Wage Foundation, which has made Greater Manchester the first city-region to be officially recognised for its plans to become a Living Wage City Region.

What is the Real Living Wage?

The Real Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay set independently and updated annually.

It is not the same thing as the UK government’s National Living Wage.

It is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK, and employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis.

According to the Living Wage Foundation, since 2011 the campaign has impacted over 300,000 employees and delivered over £1.6bn extra to some of the lowest paid workers in the UK.

Currently, around 194,000 jobs in Greater Manchester, or roughly 19% of all jobs in the city-region, pay less than the real Living Wage. This figure is the lowest since wage level records began.

What has been said about the Real Living Wage commitment?

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “We’re proud to be the UK’s leading Living Wage City-Region.

“It’s a testament to the work we’ve done across our 10 boroughs, with businesses, the VCSE sector and other organisations, to show that paying the real Living Wage is not only the right thing for communities – it’s the right thing for employers too.

“Payment of the real Living Wage is changing lives here in Greater Manchester.

“It’s the difference between just getting by and having a good wage that allows you to do more than simply pay the bills. We’ve made great progress but, with the rising cost of living felt sharply in some of the most disadvantaged places, we know there’s still a long way to go.

“That’s why we’re going to be out there this week making the compelling case for every single employer in our city-region to pay their workers the real Living Wage.”

Earlier this year, the Mayor established a Living Wage City-Region action group to bring together businesses, unions, local authorities, faith groups and voluntary and charitable organisations to drive forward plans.

Currently some 384 employers in the city-region, who between them have around 100,000 employees, have been granted Living Wage Employer status.

What was the protest event?

Ahead of the beginning of Living Wage Week 2021 Greater Manchester Citizens held a protest outside a care home run by Anchor Hanover and Salford Royal Hospital, which is a part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, to urge them both to pay their employees the real Living Wage.

Care workers, local politicians including local MP Rebecca Long-Bailey and representatives of community organisations including churches, mosques, synagogues, trade unions and schools all attended.

Participants spoke of the importance for employees of the Real Living Wage being paid.

Conor McGurran, Greater Manchester Citizens co-chair, said: “Healthcare workers have been there for Greater Manchester when we needed them most, working tirelessly during the pandemic to keep us safe and healthy, often at great personal cost.

“The least they deserve is the real Living Wage, which is why we are calling on Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Anchor Hanover to become Living Wage accredited employers.

“Northern Care Alliance is now one of the largest employers in Greater Manchester and must show moral leadership, whilst Anchor Hanover is the largest provider of specialist housing and care for older people in England.

“Shamefully, Anchor refused to pass on funding made available by Salford City Council to give local care workers a pay rise during the pandemic.

“There is simply no excuse for this callous behaviour. We hope that our community action will remind Anchor that the people of Greater Manchester want to see our care workers paid a real Living Wage.”

Melissa Thomas, a support worker in Salford, said: “I’ve been a support worker for 11years and have been like many close to leaving due to the lack of pay.

“There are lots of staff across the UK leaving the care sector due to better paid jobs with less responsibility and less stress.

“Care and support workers need and deserve a significant pay rise, and the Real Living Wage is a step in the right direction.

“We shouldn’t have to struggle to pay bills when we work as hard as we do.”

Steven Vessey, district manager for Beechfield Lodge care home which is owned by Anchor Hanover, said: “As a national not-for-profit organisation, we need to have a fair and consistent approach across our workforce regardless of geographical area, and also that our offer is sustainable beyond any interim funding that may be offered from local and central government.

“We’re actively reviewing our rates of pay and we’ll be announcing our annual pay review to colleagues soon.”