Forum Topic

Wandsworth Council and the London Living Wage

The Council have decided not to follow Boris and many other London Councils in giving their lowest paid staff a bump up in pay to the London living wage. You might argue that this parsimony is admirable but there are only 105 staff that would be affected and staff members at the highest level are amongst the highest paid in the country. A small pay reduction for three or four of the highest paid would easily cover this increase for the lowest paid.

Mick Higgins ● 4569d4 Comments

The differentials that people should be looking at are those between the lowest paid and the highest paid not between the lowest paid and the next level up.

Mick Higgins ● 4555d

This happened where I work which is not a local authority but I'm pretty sure the process would be just the same.

Carmel Cunningham ● 4562d

Have you any evidence that unions will be asking for maintained differentials if the London Living wage is implemented in Wandsworth. Has it happened in other boroughs where they have increased the wages of the poorest paid?

Mick Higgins ● 4567d

Part of the problem with the London Living Wage and the public sector is the issue of pay differentials. If you bump up the pay of the very lowest paid then the unions will want the pay grades of the next level up increased to maintain the differential and this ripples through the entire organisation until the actual cost of the increase is prohibitive. I do however agree for Wandsworth not to give the London Living Wage whilst being amongst the top payers for higher level staff.

Carmel Cunningham ● 4568d