The Real Living Wage
Leeds Justice & Peace Commission and the NJPN
Wheeler Hall, Leeds Nov 16th 2024
Photo of the Trinity Shopping Centre by Brian O' Toole
Embedded Files
Opening the Doors to a Real Living Wage.
Sara spoke to all of her lived experience of poverty and of her connection to the Catholic Church and by extension to Catholic Social Teaching (CST) through her active work in the area of poverty with local priests as advocates. First off, Sara spoke of fact that the real living wage is a growing concern for many working and living in Leeds. We were reminded that Pope Francis is perhaps the greatest advocate of CST when he explains that we can't have a real peace when we're living on the margins.
Sara began her presentation by explaining that she is part of the growing Living Wage Movement, and that the view of the youth and the young is paramount given that the impact of the lack of the real living wage impacts disproportionately on children and youth. Growing up in Cowgate and going to school in Blakelaw Comprehensive school, she remembers that a school inspection proclaimed that her school was the worst performing school in England given that most of students graduating did so with no GCSE grade at all. "Failing is what happened at Blakelaw Comprehensive, which had one of the worst, if not the worst, attendance and GCSE records in the country." (Guardian). The school and the community that it served were entrenched in desperate poverty. And the real difficulty now is that things are just as bad and perhaps even worse. Back when Sara was going to school if you were at work you could eat, you could manage. Now, however, being in work is no guarantee that you can eat well or even at all in some cases. We now have a large cohort of the population known as the working poor where what they earn just won't cover the basics.
Sara, reminded us that we were all gathered here because we believe that we can eradicate poverty and she was about to explain that one way is to campaign strategically for the introduction of the living wage.
And so the question posed is exactly how can we work to bring about a situation where the Living Wage becomes a reality for those who can be considered to amongst the furthest behind.
Sara was able to explain that currently 30% of children living in the UK are living in poverty and that over half the homes with 3 or more children are houses where the children are being described as living in poverty. 36% of all lone parents with a child under 5 years of age are living in poverty. She also told us that currently a child born into poverty is more than likely to be an adult living in poverty with little prospect of mobility. And alarmingly, 70% of children living in poverty are living in homes where there is a parent working!
The two child limit is just another tool that conspires to people being kept poor. (What is the 2 child benefit cap?) Increasingly your likelihood to be living in poverty is increased by both gender and race. We cannot get away from the growth of the foodbank over the last 20 years and the exponential growth of dependents that cannot survive without this support. It must be said that increasingly those in work are now approaching foodbanks out of sheer necessity and that the approach is very often made by the mother.
There is no getting away from the fact that we are experiencing the worst 'Cost of Living Crisis" in over 30 years where essentials like food have increased by as much as 20% with no commensurate rise in earnings. It has also been noted that there has been a significant increase in the costs of energy that filters down to impact those in poverty first, fastest and most. Last year the Trussel Trust explained that for the first time they donated in excess of 3,000,000 food parcels last year with over 760,000 people attending for the first time. There is a deepening crisis that gives way to a deepening distress that is frankly unacceptable. Life expectancy can be reduced by as much as 15 years and the health outcomes for those living in poverty are declining.
Currently there are over 3.4 million people in insecure work with over 25% of them living in the North East of England. Among those are people working in social care when their shift can be cancelled without notice meaning that their earnings are indeed precarious. Among those most affected are women, ethnic and older workers. The first casualty of poverty is the mother who will go without food to be sure that her children do not have to do without. Our response is that we can do something about this. The proliferation of foodbanks is a help but doesn't address the structural issues that conspire to ensure that those in poverty may indeed become trapped in poverty. The Real Living Wage Campaign first began it's work by campaigning for better conditions for families that would allow parents and children more time with each other.
A decision was taken to approach the HSBC and Barclays Bank first by letter to ask for the living wage to be given to all employees. The letter went unanswered and the staff bought a one pound share in the bank affording them rights to attend shareholders meetings and to pose questions and insist on certain items being on the agenda. With a priest as an advocate at the meeting the successful outcome was to ensure that the minimum wage of £12.20 was increased to the living wage of £13.60. Success here was key to bringing the possibility of bringing about the living wage in other large and public institutions.
What is the extent of the problem?
Who suffers most, first and fastest?
And what about the North East in particular?
From the Households Below Adequate Income Study 2022 / 2023
What business is slowly learning is that employees with the real living wage are working in businesses that continue to prosper. When Newcastle University were asked to consider offering the living wage to employees they at first refused and this was par for the course and so those working to ensure a living wage had to think imaginatively and strategically to ensure that those with decision making powers got the message and so at a Board Meeting notes written on napkins were passed to board members alerting them to the issue and subsequently Newcastle University caved and now paid the living wage. What is now apparent is that we can't wait for elections or politicians. We must take the initiative and take the lived experience and stories of those in poverty to those who can make the changes required.
Sara also told us of the Reuben Brothers who have bought the local football club and in an effort to be seen to support local people and causes they offered to match donations at match grounds to the local foodbank. However, when it was pointed out to them that this donation that they are making so publicly is a contradiction in terms, given that those who will make use of the foodbank are their staff who are left with little option but to use this service given the low standard of pay they receive. It was pointed out to the brothers that perhaps the more appropriate response would be to pay the Living Wage to all employees so that then there would be no need for them to approach the foodbank in the first place. After some "to-ing and fro-ing," this came to pass and this was yet another example of the living wage being paid in a public institution.
Leeds Council are amenable to paying the living wage but this is only the tip of the iceberg, those who adopt the Living Wage take on the responsibility of offering fair and respectful contracts, that remove the "zero hours" element that have become so prevalent and are not just family unfriendly but regularly leave the worker in poverty. We must remember that the aim of each and every foodbank is to cease to operate because there is no need. A fair contract empowers, and now we are also seeing community shops, food pantries and church larders all supplementing those in need, quietly and efficiently staving off the hunger of the nation. "By campaigning for the real Living Wage we are doing the Gospel corporately - and as a practicing Catholic the more I practice the better I get!" - Sir John Battle (organiser)
The next event that will help all to learn a little more about the Living Wage will be online on Dec 4th next. Scan the code or Register HERE
In the afternoon, Sir John Battle facilitated a round table discussion with:
Luke a Debt Counselor - who explained that debt cancelling is not an answer, it is but a temporary relief if we don't address the structural causes of the debt.
Andrew from Citizens UK - who explained that compassion and charity are just not enough, We must organise a chapter of citizens who can think and act and must include those with a lived experience of poverty.
Tom A Champion of the Living Wage explained that poverty and financial poverty are the one thing that gets in the way of a family achieving. There is a lessened ability to access services, to spend time together as a family. Poverty can and does have an insidious effect on families. What we need is justice - beyond the direct service of charity.
Paul from Leeds Church Institute: When thinking on how to address the issues, I must think on what door I can walk through: a door into a sophisticated pursuit of justice. We must also remember that many are too proud to access foodbanks. Ecumenical charity is perhaps the best kept secret of the Leeds Church Institute, we must consider how faith can manifest itself on the margins.
Ailse - a Digital Marketing Student. "Young people are the now, they are the spark, the Youth are now doing their bit." There must be ways for those who don't come to church to express their faith in work with those in poverty, in service perhaps.
Other points that came up:
At the Rainbow Junction Cafe there is a gathering of those who can support those in need.
The demand for services to those in need is definitely growing.
How can we be the prophetic voice for change?
How can we live out our faith as a team?
The ripple effect of micro changes can be huge, it can be the spark for the next idea. Think of the campaign for the change in the bus time table as organised by the children attending a local school. It was noticed that the bus arrived at the school two minutes before the children were let out meaning that there was a significant wait for the next bus. What the children felt was the success of a campaign and this feeling is one that can be capitalised on by taking on new and perhaps even more difficult campaigns.
We need to be bold to get to Jesus.
Taking on such work is an act of bravery.
To be too busy doing charity leaves no time address the causes.
Can there be such a thing as a quiet Jesus? No!
Dealing with the Living Wage Campaign is far easier that than dealing with the poverty that is caused by the absence of the living wage.
There are always reasons not to....and if we accept this then there will never be a comfortable time to start.
Where the story affect the community then a grassroots campaign is often the most successful.
Is there a real fear of being considered political in the charity world?
We must ask ourselves, are social justice and evangelisation separate things?
Real people power might only come from real people.
Charity as love... are they distinguishable?
Poverty is isolation.
God is not I, I, I nor is God you, you, you. God is we, we, we!
Often those who make a plan are concerned about the possible level of success when really they should think that that only thing that is not a success is not starting in the first place!
Pope Francis, "Love in Service of the Community needs to be organised.
As the event was over at 3.30pm I had an hour to spend in Leeds before heading for home and some the photos below were taken on my wander around. (feel free to use any for any reason - no need to ask for permission!)
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