Unite members will seek support for Living Wage pay commitment ahead of Coleraine council meeting tomorrow [Tuesday, May 23rd]
Unite Regional Officer Gareth Scott confirmed his union’s members would seek to engage councillors at Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council over their failure to pay all workers a Living Wage.
“As part of Unite’s campaign to ensure workers receive a Living Wage, our members working in Causeway Coasts & Glens Borough Council will challenge councillors over the issue of poverty pay as they enter the town hall for their Council meeting in Coleraine tomorrow evening [Tuesday, May 23rd, 7.30pm].
“Our members have decided to take this action following the failure of the council Chief Executive to acknowledge a written request by the Union to become a Living Wage employer.
“Relatively few workers in the council are paid less than the Living Wage threshold (as set by the independent Living Wage Foundation) which is currently £8.45. While the cost associated with the commitment is therefore low, the impact on those living on poverty pay would be dramatic.
“Every worker, and their family, deserves a decent standard of living. A living wage is a basic entitlement.
“Causeway Coasts & Glens Borough includes areas in which the labour market is characterised by having some of the lowest median wages in Northern Ireland.
“Four councils in Northern Ireland have agreed to pay, at a minimum, the living Wage threshold: Belfast City, Derry City & Strabane, Mid-Ulster, and Fermanagh and Omagh. Causeway Coast & Glens Borough council is now the largest council not guaranteeing a living wage to its employees.
“Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council should join the large and growing number of fully-accredited Living Wage employers, including some in the borough itself. By doing so, they can make a real difference in the fight against poverty pay”, Mr Scott finished.
Unite the Union, Ireland Region 