LIVING WAGE
which is £2.20 above the
national living wage.
According to the
London Poverty Profile,
published by the Trust
for London, currently
more than 25% of the
jobs in our borough are
‘low paid’, contributing
to levels of in-work
poverty, and child poverty.
Council leader
Julian Bell with Emmie
Hanreck, partner at
PAG Leisurewear
‘ONE OF MY CONDITIONS
OF OPENING’
Prior to opening Post and Packing
in September last year, Mr
Dowling worked for Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital. The new
business is a franchise which he
owns 50-50.
“I made being accredited one
of the conditions of me giving up
my nursing job, which I loved,” he
said. “It was my dream job.
“First of all, paying the London
Living Wage is only fair and an
improvement on the minimum
wage. And, secondly, if we did it
from the start it made it easier to
budget for.
“It is beneficial to the business,
as well, because it helps to get the
right people in as staff and to then
retain them.”
our people to care, perform and be
an asset to the business; the living
wage i s one of the fundamental
steps to achieve that.”
‘INCREDIBLY SIMPLE’ TO DO
PAG Leisurewear in Ealing was
another of the first local companies
to sign up for accreditation.
Partner at PAG Leisurewear
Emmie Hanreck said: “The London
Living Wage is a clear, elegant,
statement about the ethics of the
business, backed by a financial
decision that can’t be smudged or
worked round and the accrediting
process is incredibly simple.
“Pay your staff what they need
to live a respectable life. We need
BOOST TO REPUTATION
Councillor Peter Mason, the
council’s Living Wage champion,
and cabinet member for
prosperity, skills, employment and
transformation, said: “I congratulate
the businesses that are committing
to paying the London Living Wage
and taking advantage of the
council’s scheme.
“We want the borough to
become a Living Wage borough
and I hope the example being set
by these local businesses will set a
Up to £2,000 in business
rate relief was made
available by the council
for each of the first
100 local businesses
to sign up to become
an accredited London
Living Wage employer
precedent for others to follow –
and will make sure staff are paid a
fair wage.
“Those who have signed-up to
the scheme are effectively being
recognised as good employers and
thereby enhancing the reputation
of their business. It is a good thing
for everyone concerned.
“Accredited employers are eligible
to use the Living Wage employer
logo. This increases their appeal to
employees, helping to retain and
hire staff; and could also potentially
improve their attractiveness to
customers and funders.”
Council leader Julian Bell
said: “We are determined to
make Ealing a fairer and more
prosperous borough and,
therefore, we want our residents
to be paid a decent wage. But we
also want this to be a great place
to run a business, so we are doing
our bit to help by offsetting the
cost of accreditation.”
MORE INFO
■
Any businesses
interested should email
[email protected]
■
Visit
www.ealing.gov.uk/livingwage
around ealing
Summer 2016
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