I am delighted to be supporting Labour's plan for action for a living wage at Sheffield City Council. 

The proposal means that from April next year all staff employed by Sheffield City Council will be paid a wage of at least £7.20 per hour this financial year, which will see an increase for 275 staff across on the lowest two grades at the council.

The decision comes following talks over a period of time with public sector union, Unison. 

A Living Wage has been introduced in other areas across the country where several leading public and private sector organisations have signed up to the campaign. Paying a living wage boosts the incomes of the lowest paid, who have been hardest hit in the current economic climate of no growth and heavy price increases.

Council staff have seen their pay frozen for the past two years in order to protect as many jobs and services as possible, given the massive cuts imposed by the Government. If increments were frozen again the council would save £5 million per year, however, implementing a living wage would target raising the incomes of the council’s lowest paid staff. A living wage costing around £70,000 would be met through the £1 million saving that Labour are making through cuts to senior management.

The proposal to implement a Living Wage will be presented to next week’s Full Council meeting, which coincides with Living Wage Week (4th-10th November). 

Labour Leader of Sheffield City Council, Councillor Julie Dore, said:

“A Sheffield Living Wage would help to reduce poverty in this city and I believe it is important that the council leads by example in this area, which is why I am committed to making sure that next year all council staff will receive a living wage.

“We will work with employers across the city in other parts of the public sector as well as the private and voluntary sectors to make sure that this has a big impact across the city.

“It is the poorest who are being hit hardest by the Government’s failure to grow the economy, this is an achievable, pragmatic way of supporting people on low incomes across the city and I am pleased that we are able to take it forward.”

Dean Harper, Organiser, Sheffield Unison, said:

“Unison have campaigned for a Living Wage and we are delighted that Labour are delivering this in Sheffield. Only yesterday we learned that one in five workers in the UK earn less than the living wage and we believe it’s vital that this is tacked.