Westminster City Council, probably the 'best council in the country' currently allow private companies running services for Westminster residents to pay the worst rates in the country. UNISON members responsible for cleaning Westminster's public toilets are forced to work for the national minimum wage of £5.52 per hour.
Required to work unsociable hours and often subjected to abuse, our members working for this company deserve a Living Wage and in December 2008, Westminster UNISON called upon the City Council to pay fair and build the London Living Wage into their procurement code. This would mean that all new and re-tendered contracts would have a clause within them ensuring that companies pay the London Living Wage as a minimum.
The London Living Wage is the real minimum rate of pay that enables a worker to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their family and currently stands at £7.45 per hour. Many service sector workers - including cleaners, security guards and catering staff - experience low pay and difficult, sometimes exploitative working conditions. It is estimated that in London alone 400,000 people fall into this working poverty trap.
Boris Johnson, Conservative London Mayor continued the commitment to pay the London Living Wage for ALL contractors and sub-contractors working on the 2012 Olympics project. Westminster UNISON believe that Cllr Barrow, the Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council should do the same.
Phil Vaughan, Westminster UNISON Branch Secretary said "Its time for Westminster City Council to outlaw poverty pay for workers providing services for Westminster residents. For too long the City Council has turned its back on its moral responsibilities to private sector workers. If Boris can do it, so can Barrow."
Westminster UNISON's call for the London Living Wage to be built into the Council's procurement process was discussed at the Chief Officers Diversity Group this week, chaired by Mike More, Chief Executive. It was considered that this matter should be referred to Westminster's Councillors for a decision and we eagerly await their response!
Westminster UNISON's role as the largest trade union in the Council and its contractors ensures our place at the negotiating table. Whether backing you up at work or weighing in on a local policy issue, UNISON draws its strength from its numbers.
