Skip to main content
University of East London
  • Staff login
  • Student login
  • Study
    Study
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    Apply through Clearing

    View courses in Clearing.

    Explore now
    • COURSES
      • Undergraduate
      • Clearing
      • Postgraduate
      • Advice for mature learners
      • Subjects
      • Apprenticeships
      • January starts
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Student life
      • Current students
      • New students
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
  • International
    International
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    • APPLYING
      • Advice for your region
      • Pre-degree courses
      • Visa and immigration advice
      • Transferring to UEL
      • International admission deadlines
      • Pre-sessional English
      • Malvern House pathway programmes
      • Contact our international team
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
      • Virtual open events
  • Your career
    Your career
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    • STARTING YOUR CAREER
      • Career Zone
      • Explore your career
      • Career coaching and mentoring
    • GETTING A JOB
      • Meet employers
      • Be your own boss
      • Volunteering
      • Work while you study
  • Partners
    Partners
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    • Partnerships at UEL
    • Train your workforce
    • Share your skills
    • Connect with our people
  • Our research
    Our research
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    • Postgraduate research students
    • Research impact
    • Partnerships
    • REF 2021
  • About
    About
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    Connected campus

    We are improving our three campuses for people to study, work and live.

    What we're doing
    • OUR UNIVERSITY
      • Our schools and subjects
      • Staff
      • Governance
      • Professional services
      • 125 years
      • Vision 2028
      • Alumni
      • Accreditations
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • TEACHING AND SUPPORT
      • How we teach
      • Mental wealth
      • On-campus nursery
    • GET INVOLVED
      • Events
      • News
    • GET IN TOUCH
      • Our location
      • Contact us
      • Venue hire
  • Home
  • About UEL
  • News

Students Celebrate Living Wage anniversary

Students Celebrate Living Wage anniversary

30 UEL students gathered at University of East London to celebrate UEL's 10-year commitment to paying the Real Living Wage to all staff at the University.

See all of our news articles

Hero Carousel

30 UEL students gathered at University of East London to celebrate UEL's 10-year commitment to paying the Real Living Wage to all staff at the University.

See all of our news articles

Published

12 November 2021

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

UEL students gathered at University of East London to celebrate UEL's 10-year commitment to paying the Real Living Wage to all staff at the University. 10 years ago, UEL implemented its decision to pay the Living Wage to all its workers which it has been doing ever since.  

In the run-up to Living Wage Week, which runs from 15 - 21  November 30 students met to recognise University of East London's commitment on the issue of low pay. They celebrated the University for the commitment. 

Students who took part in the Leadership Academy, which is created in partnership with grassroots organisation Citizens UK, were responsible for organising the event. Students gathered to share stories of how low pay has affected them and their communities, they celebrated with refreshments and even balloons with the letter 10 on them to mark the 10-Year Commitment. 

UEL students in 2015, Launching a Living Wage Zone in the Royal Docks

UEL students in 2015, Launching a Living Wage Zone in the Royal Docks

2021 is the 20-year anniversary of the Living Wage Campaign which was started in East London. Community leaders had listened within their organisations before Citizens UK brought together churches, mosques, schools and other local institutions to talk about the issues affecting their communities. One issue came up again and again - low pay. 

So the community leaders and Citizens UK launched a Living Wage Campaign. At the time the minimum wage was set at £3.70 an hour. Some people were working two or three minimum wage jobs and still struggling to make ends meet.  And nowhere more so than in London, where housing and childcare costs are much higher than in other parts of the country. They began to convince employers to go above and beyond the minimum and pay a Real Living Wage to their workers. They managed to convince employers to pay a Real Living Wage, and the campaign has gathered pace with now over 9,000 businesses across the UK paying the Real Living Wage. 

What is the Real Living Wage? The Real Living Wage is independently calculated based on what it actually costs to live. It's the difference between being able to afford things you need for a decent quality of life; things like healthy food, a warm home and a birthday treat for your children. The real Living Wage is currently £10.85 in London and £9.30 UK wide. New rates will be announced during Living Wage Week due to the rising cost of living. 

Grace Akinyemi, a UEL student who lives in Newham and helped organise the event said,

I have lived in the London Borough  of Newham for that last 27 years, and my family and I have experienced the impact of low pay. I have seen a lots of families struggle through low pay and I have seen others who are paid a fair wage flourish. The Living Wage put is one of the ways we can eradicate low pay within our community. People have worked so hard for the last 20 years to help impact families to break the circle of poverty through their campaign to give families better pay and better life. We wanted to continue that legacy."

Fran Zanatta, a senior lecturer from the School of Education and Communities at UEL said,

"We know many of our students face challenges when working in low-paid jobs while at University. It has been amazing to see students who wouldn’t ordinarily see themselves as leaders, organise the event. Many of them have stepped up and taken on leadership roles and responsibility for this event. Just like the initial campaign that was started by grassroots community leaders, and those who have experienced low pay, so was this event. It's great to see the students getting involved in this work."

#LivingWage10yearsUEL

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

Communications team

Contact us for press and interview requests

 

+44 (0)20 8223 2911
pressoffice@uel.ac.uk

Help us make this site better by telling us what you think about this page

Social Media

Follow us on social media:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • TikTok

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Explore UEL

  • About UEL
  • Take a virtual tour
  • Calendars
  • Freedom of information
  • Governance management
  • Services and departments
  • Find us
  • Contact us

The University

  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • News
  • Events
  • Jobs

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Copyright ©2023 University of East London

  • Accessibility
  • Data protection
  • Sitemap
  • AccessAble
  • Modern slavery
  • Legal and compliance
  • Cookie settings
  • Privacy
back to top