Royal Docks seeks to be a Living Wage Place
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Mayor Khan plans to make London a Living Wage City
Published
12 July 2022
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- Today the Royal Docks receives formal recognition from the Living Wage Foundation for Making a Living Wage Place
- Key step in Mayor Khan's plan to make London a Living Wage City
- In 2011 the University became one of the first anchor institutions in east London to become a Living Wage Employer and Champion.
Today saw the launch of a major campaign to make the Royal Docks, home of the University's Docklands campus, a Living Wage Place. Over the next three years, a coalition of local public, private and third sector accredited employers aim to increase accredited Living Wage Employers in the Royal Docks by 50 per cent, securing a pay rise for over 3,000 employees. That is only the start, the long-term aim is to establish a norm that would see a Real Living Wage as the absolute minimum paid by all businesses based in the Royal Docks.
In 2011 the University became one of the first anchor institutions in east London to become a Living Wage Employer and Champion.
Today Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz joined children from St Antony's Catholic Primary to launch the Royal Docks Action Plan at the iconic Dockers Statue next to Victoria Dock. This was followed by a breakfast event in ExCeL London for hundreds of local businesses. The plan, which has official status with The Living Wage Foundation, lays out a targeted pathway for the area to become a Living Wage Place.
The Living Wage Place Action Plan sees a focus on five business sectors with a strong presence in the Royal Docks economy: hotels; affordable workspace providers; property developers; aggregates operators; industrial estate employers and landlords. However, all businesses in the Royal Docks, whatever their sector or size, are encouraged to sign up.
Shampa Roy-Mukherjee, associate professor & director of impact & innovation, Royal Docks School of Business & Law at UEL, said,
The University of East London was the first post 92 university to pay the Living Wage to all its employees. In 2011 the University became one of the first anchor institutions in east London to become a Living Wage Employer and Champion."
"We are currently a key member of the Royal Docks Living Wage Action Group working collaboratively to promote and support other businesses and organisations to adopt the Living Wage, with the ultimate goal of making the Royal Docks a Living Wage Place. Our students play a huge role in raising awareness and campaigning for the cause."
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said, "This is a major step forward in making London a Living Wage City. I'm proud that, since I became Mayor, the number of accredited London Living Wage employers has more than quadrupled, and I'm determined to keep up this momentum. Making the Royal Docks a Living Wage Place is a big part of making this exciting area a beacon of inclusive and sustainable regeneration, and building a better and fairer London for all."
There are currently 61 accredited Living Wage employers in Newham, all committed to paying their directly employed, and contracted staff, the Living Wage.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living. The Living Wage rates are calculated annually using a robust methodology and based on the best available data.
The rate is currently £9.90 in the UK and a higher rate of £11.05 to reflect the higher cost of living in the capital. This compares to the Government's Minimum Wage of £9.50 for over 23s and £9.18 for under 23s.
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