Its been Living Wage week, when the new annual rates for the Living Wage are announced.
It is for London £10.75 an hour (the minimum wage is £7.70)
https://www.livingwage.org.uk/news/real-living-wage-increases-2019-20
I think it would still be quite a struggle to live in London on that (but I inhabit a very different employment strata) but it does at least address the issue of low pay.
When Johnson was Mayor of London he was in favour of paying the LIving Wage, although obviously he did absolutely nothing about making sure it happened.
A particular focus as I enjoy drinking craft beer are the large number of craft beer breweries in London.
People are sometimes rather taken aback when they learn of the hours, pay and working conditions in some of these breweries, which promote an image of themselves as modern and progressive while being distinctly Dickensian when it comes to their workers.
But numbers do pay the living wage and that deserves to be publicised and promoted.
Earlier this week I dropped by the Pembury Tavern in Hackney which is owned by the Five Points brewery over the road. Both are Living Wage employers and the pub has had a week of promoting the beers of other breweries who do the same.
There is something decent about enjoying a beer from a brewery where you know those who have produced it are also decently paid.
Let’s hope more breweries take the hint.
Leave a Reply