A localised approach to the living wage

The Greater Manchester Living Wage Campaign is a coalition of people and organisations who want to make Greater Manchester a living wage zone; to challenge low pay; to put living wage policy and a culture of social equality at the heart of how Greater Manchester works.

We formed because we believed that the living wage is an idea whose time has come, but which needed a concerted push to get it really moving. We engage in a range of tactics, but it all starts with connecting people.

In our very first meeting we had trade unionists, councillors, enlightened business managers, charity workers and more, all discussing the same goal. There was a great level of agreement on the way forward, which I would sum up as doing a bit of everything. It might not sound like much of a strategy, but the size of the problem is so huge, we can’t miss!

Broadly speaking our actions include:

• Raising voter awareness
• Raising consumer awareness
• Engaging in social media campaigns and getting mainstream media coverage
• Sharing tips and best practice for implementing the living wage
• Writing and sharing resources and reports
• Organising events and speaking at a wide range of events

We work with living wage employers to make the argument that it is good business sense. We amplify the voices of those affected by low pay or positively affected by the living wage, and we highlight the injustice of employers who pay over £200,000 a week to people good at kicking a ball around a field, but less than a living wage to those who clean up afterwards (we’ve got two of them in Manchester!).

We highlight the injustice of employers paying over £200,000 a week to people

kicking a ball around a field, but less than a living wage to those who clean up afterwards

We research how big employers such as councils can implement the living wage through their supply lines. We speak and write to thousands of employers through their networks, such as business federations and third sector coalitions. We signpost employers toward the Living Wage Foundation for accreditation, to ensure long-lasting commitments to pay the living wage.

The results have been very pleasing, some quantifiable and some less tangible. Before our launch a year ago one of the ten councils in Greater Manchester paid the living wage; now we have four (still only one accredited but we’re working on it!). The number of accredited living wage employers has increased over 250% , which means pay rises for over a thousand of the lowest-paid people in the city region, but that’s just the beginning.

All  of this is evidence of a greater consciousness around the issue of in-work poverty and low pay, and the value of the living wage in tackling it. We’ve put it firmly on the agenda for almost every sector active in the city region, and next year will redouble our efforts in engaging the private sector, which requires a more tailored response.

We do all of this on a tiny budget – I am the sole employee of the campaign, 1.5 days per week – but with a lot of ‘buy-in’ from people and organisations who want to donate their time and resources in different ways, because they recognise that the alarming rise of in-work poverty demands a united response. With a bigger budget we could do more, and harness even more of the energy that’s out there for a living wage, but for now we’re doing what we can with what we have and have shown the model to provide excellent value.

This could be a model for potential campaigners and other city regions to explore. With a wide-ranging. concerted boost in each sector, a good idea like the living wage becomes far harder to ignore, and ultimately more attractive for employers.