UNISON has called on college employers to help to protect their low paid staff from the worst of the cost-of-living crisis by paying the new Living Wage rates earlier than required, as part of its pay claim for 2022/23.
Living Wage Foundation brought forward the announcement of its 2022-23 Living Wage rates to September this year to make it possible for employers to apply the new rates in advance of the May 2023 deadline.
The Living Wage Foundation are encouraging employers to pay the new Living Wage given the current dire economic circumstances. As such, UNISON’s ask was for the entire college sector to agree early implementation of the new rates for all directly employed and indirectly employed staff as quickly as possible.
Following the inclusion of this request within UNISON’s pay claim and before any national pay bargaining negotiations have begun, a few colleges have already acted and have committed or are looking to commit to these early payments for low paid staff within their own colleges.
While UNISON is encouraged by this swift action, time is running out for the other twenty or so other colleges signed up to national bargaining to step in and offer this lifeline to low paid staff. UNISON are urging more colleges to adopt this approach, pending what we hope will be a full sectoral agreement once talks have taken place.
Grace Hepburn, UNISON Scotland’s Further Education Branch women’s officer said: “The vast majority of staff affected by low pay in colleges are women and will be disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Implementing the Living Wage early will not only benefit women who are likely to be struggling financially, but their wider families and dependants as well. I urge colleges to get behind this initiative, and by doing so colleges will also help underline their commitment to women’s welfare.”
Chris Greenshields, UNISON Scotland’s Further Education Branch secretary said: “Low paid workers are much more vulnerable to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis than most and the recent Living Wage Foundation figures showing that over half of low paid workers haved used a food bank in the last year proves that. Low paid college workers are no different. Many are still outsourced and have poorer terms and conditions than other college workers are as result. We are calling for immediate action from colleges to address low pay and help us turn the tide against poverty injustice. Early payment of these new rates will help.”
Collette Bradley, UNISON Scotland’s chair of Further Education Branch said: “The college sector badly needs to produce more joint agreements with unions to demonstrate more than a superficial commitment to Fair Work. Early payment of the Living Wage was a simple but very welcome adjustment for the sector and their private sector partners to help the lowest paid from amongst the workforce at a time of such desperate need. The unions are committed to creating more partnership good news stories with the college sector as we move forward into more challenging times ahead.”
Notes:
- UNISON is the largest and leading trade union for support staff in further education
- The Living Wage Foundation report that: “Over half (56%) of low-paid workers – 2.7m workers nationally – report using foodbanks over the last 12 months, with 63% of low-paid food bank users – 1.7m workers nationally – saying their use had increased in this time.”
UNISON Contacts
- Lorcan Mullen, UNISON regional organiser: 07903853116 / l.mullen@unison.co.uk
- Chris Greenshields: 07516500321 cgreenshields@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk
- Collette Bradley: 07989092189 collette.bradley@nclan.ac.uk