Pay workers fairly plea

News that no high street chains are prepared to pay living wage seen has been condemned by Unite as “a bleak day for hard working Britain”. Millions will now “earn their own poverty” on our High Streets, as not a single major high street chain is prepared to commit to paying staff even the living wage – let alone a fair share of their profits.

The news – revealed after an investigation by The Independent newspaper – will shock many as the list includes so-called ‘ethical’ names such as John Lewis and even the Co-operative.

Political pressure has been growing in the run up to the general election for a rise in the hourly rate of ÂŁ7.85 (ÂŁ9.15 in London) and the latest development will further highlight the plight of more than five million UK workers on well below what could be considered a decent wage.

Citizens UK, the pressure group who set up the Living Wage Foundation, has already called on the retail sector to consider their social responsibilities when it comes to fair pay. A point echoed across the country by Unite, which as our biggest trade union, has campaigned long and hard for an end to poverty pay on our High Streets.

 
Unite assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, described The Independent’s findings as “totally unacceptable”, but not a surprise given the past record of the Tory-led government.

One of David Cameron’s favourite empty phrases is “if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded” said Turner. “It’s funny how those often working the hardest are equally working the longest, earning their own poverty as a direct result of low pay in insecure jobs.

“Many of our leading retailers are swimming in vast profits and being subsidised by the taxpayer. Billions is spent each year on tax credits and housing benefits to keep people on low pay. Rather than putting investigators onto hard up families trying to put food on the table, government should be ending this exploitation of hard working people and taxpayers through ‘corporate welfare’”.

With the minimum wage currently set at a paltry £6.50 per hour for those aged 21 and over – and a disgraceful £5.13 (18-21) – Turner argues that ministers must be held to account. “Business and government in a pact leading to the gross exploitation of the lowest paid, with corporate profits subsidised by us all. The silence of the so called ‘Tax Payers Alliance’ on this gross abuse of our taxes only goes to highlight their links to the Tory’s while explaining their continued right wing attacks on the most vulnerable.

“In excess of five million UK workers earn less than a living wage and are increasingly shut out of the economy and many of these are employed in the shops and services that populate our high streets, yet they often can’t afford to shop where they work,” he said.

“Far from enjoying the spoils of any so-called recovery, they are working harder and getting poorer in Tory-led Britain, with households now an average of £1,600-a-year worse off than they were in 2010.”

Turner acknowledges the commitment made by well-known names such as Barclays, Aviva and even Chelsea FC (the only Premier League club to sign-up so far) in numbering around 1200 who have so far signed-up to the living wage.

But as he points out, “the answer is simple – pay workers fairly for a hard day’s work. We need strong trade unions and sector level collective bargaining to raise wages and address growing inequalities. In the meantime, boosting the minimum wage by an immediate £1.50 an hour would lift millions out of poverty and put money in the pockets of people who will spend it, not stash it away in the nearest tax haven. Slashing ‘corporate welfare’ by some £3bn which can be better spent investing in jobs, homes and hope across our nations.”