NUS AND UNISON WILL NAME AND SHAME UNIVERSITIES NOT PAYING LIVING WAGE

The National Union of Students (NUS) and UNISON are today (2 March) launching a campaign calling on all colleges, universities and students’ unions – including private contractors on campuses – across the UK to pay at least a Living Wage (1) to all of their employees.

The campaign, being launched at UNISON’s Higher Education Conference in Brighton, will see the two organisations creating a ‘league table’ of the worst offenders - those with the biggest gap between the lowest and highest paid staff. The unions will also award those that do the right thing by giving a ‘kite mark’ to the colleges and universities that agree to pay the living wage.

The average yearly income of a university Vice-Chancellor in 2009/10 (the last year for which complete figures are available) was £218,813 and for a college principal it was £115,872 - though some earn significantly more than this (2). This compares to just £12,334 for a worker on the minimum wage doing a 40 hour week in 2009/10.

Even some of the UK’s most prestigious institutions are paying workers at poverty pay levels. At Cambridge University and its colleges - where local union officials estimate that over 1000 employees receive less than the living wage - the Vice-Chancellor earns £249,000 a year. This is almost 20 times the salary of the lowest paid worker who earns an hourly wage of just £6.70 per hour.

NUS Vice-President, Dannie Grufferty, said:

“There is clearly an inherent injustice in the average Vice-Chancellor getting paid more than 17-times more than a minimum wage employee on their campus.

“Colleges and universities are a community and everyone within that community needs to be treated with dignity and that means paying them a wage they can live on for their work.

“The difference between minimum wage and a living wage is the difference between constant money worries and being able to make ends meet. It also makes sense for employers who’ll see a rise in productivity and greater retention of staff.

“Employers at colleges and universities have six-months to get their house in order before we name and shame those that allow such shocking disparities to continue.”

Jon Richards, UNISON National Secretary for Education and Children’s’ Services , said:

“It is time universities got their houses in order. Whilst top pay has skyrocketed – with some Vice Chancellors now earning over £300,000 – the lowest paid are on poverty wages. As educational institutions, they should know better. Low pay and inequality are at the heart of the huge problems that we face as a society today. We are determined that this disgraceful pay gap is closed.

“The Living Wage has been agreed as the bottom rate for Further Education workers, with the national employers body – the Association of Colleges (AoC). I congratulate the AoC for their stance on this issue, and am today sending a strong message to College Principals that we are watching them - we expect them to honour this national rate.

“We will shine a light on those that do – but will name and shame the colleges that shirk their responsibilities to their staff and pay poverty wages. It is also now time for University leaders to do the right thing and endorse the living wage as the minimum rate of pay for higher education institutions. ”

Statements from low paid workers:

Isle of Wight College does not pay the Living Wage

Stephanie Green, Shop Supervisor, Isle of Wight College – (contracted out staff)

I am married with a 16 year old at home who is attending this college (IW). I earn well under the £7.20 hourly rate and the staff that I supervise are all entirely on the national minimum hourly rate. I can’t say it is not hard to make ends meet, because it is. My wage just about pays for the gas, electric and water bills. My husband pays for the mortgage, food and has child support commitments for other children, so we don’t have much at the end of the month for any kind of pleasure spending as I would put it. Holidays are a rarity and we only had one last year because a relative paid for it. Things are a real struggle and I do feel a little resentment at being treated differently to others working in the college, as surely we are all on the same team working for the students and staff alike.

Anonymous, support staff worker , Isle of Wight College

I’m employed 25 hours per week by the college and earn considerably less than £7.20 per hour. I am 26 years old, have a 9 year old child and live in privately rented accommodation with my partner, who is employed in seasonal work on the island. We can hardly live off what we earn. I have not had a holiday in 11 years, other than a long weekend break on Cornwall that my parents paid for 6 years ago. We don’t own a TV, because we cannot afford the license fee and most, if not all my clothes are purchased in charity shops. My partner and I are finding it increasingly difficult to budget and have recently stopped having a landline into the house to save money. Food and utilities bills keep going up with my pay hardy moving, certainly not keeping pace with the increases. We are the forgotten people, trying to work and make ends meet.

Steve Cooper, Isle of Wight Unison Local Government Branch Chair

It is so important that working people are allowed to live with dignity and not as second or even third class citizens. The south east of England is an expensive location to live and bring up a family compared to other regions of the country. This campaign for a living wage is for all people and will benefit the exchequer, the economy, working people, our children and future generations to come.

Colette and Kevin Gorton, Estates Officers -Hugh Baird College Merseyside – College recently implemented Living Wage as part of the FE national pay deal

The wage increase has made a big difference to us This affects both Kev and myself as a couple, it is about £80 a month EACH. We are able to pay bills without the usual worry of where the money is coming from. We have been able to put the heating on without the usual worry of the next gas bill dropping through the door or go shopping without worrying whether I can pay for the food in my basket. I am getting to the point that I don’t have to worry about being over drawn at the end of the month If we can keep this wage increase life would be a lot easier for us just on a day to day basis.

City and Islington College pays the Living Wage

Cleaner, City & Islington College.

“Now that I am receiving the London Living Wage, I can afford travel cards every week without any worries.”

ENDS

1 The living wage is an hourly rate set independently every year. It is calculated according to the cost of living and gives the minimum pay rate required for a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life. It currently stands at £7.20 per hour outside London and £8.30 in London). The London Living Wage (LLW) is calculated annually by the Living Wage Unit of the Greater London Authority (GLA). The tools for calculating the living wage outside of London are provided by the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) research project based at Loughborough University and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

2 For 2009/10 Vice-Chancellors pay ranged from £113,486p.a. to £394,000p.a. For 2009/10 College principals ranged from £110,000p.a. to £260,000p.a.