Hackney Council celebrates Living Wage Week
In celebration of Living Wage Week from 11-17 November, Hackney Council has raised the Living Wage flag over Hackney Town Hall and will host a business breakfast on Thursday 14 November to commend employers committed to paying the London Living Wage in Hackney.
Hosted at Hackney Town Hall in partnership with The Living Wage Foundation and Citizens UK, all 106 of the borough’s accredited Living Wage Employers have been invited - in addition to those without formal accreditation and businesses aspiring to pay the London Living Wage.
The event will be an opportunity to share good news stories with Hackney’s business community and celebrate the announcement of the increased London Living Wage, which has been raised to £10.75, an increase of 20p per hour.
Speakers at the event will include Daniel Howard from the Living Wage Foundation, Alice Woudhuysen from Child Poverty Action Group, Andy Pakula from New Unity Church and Claudia Mayne from Five Points Brewery.
I'm delighted to have been asked to speak at the Living Wage Week business breakfast. The Five Points Brewing Company was the first brewery in the UK to pay the Living Wage—now there's over 20 of us in the beer sector alone. We hope to continue to inspire other businesses to commit to paying their staff a fair wage in 2020 and beyond!
The event will also be an opportunity for businesses to enjoy breakfast and network with other local businesses.
Council officers representing trading standards, environmental health, commercial property, licensing and business rates will also be in attendance to provide support and information on Council services to attendees.
Hackney Council was formally accredited as a London Living Wage employer in 2016 by the Living Wage Foundation, cementing a long-standing commitment to pay the London Living Wage. That commitment means that everyone working for the Council, regardless of whether they are permanent employees, temporary staff, part-time or agency staff or apprentices over the age of 18, is guaranteed to receive at least the London Living Wage.
Businesses based in Hackney wishing to attend the event can book via eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-living-wage-business-breakfast-tickets-78196215987
Notes to editors
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to take a stand by ensuring their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives.
The UK Living Wage is currently £9.30 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £10.75 per hour to reflect the higher costs of transport, childcare and housing in the capital. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.
The Living Wage Foundation is the organisation at the heart of the movement of businesses, organisations and individuals who campaign for the simple idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. There are almost 6,000 accredited Living Wage employers in the UK.