[sas-announce] Fwd: Living wage petition

[Laura Schwartz]

nicholas wall <nctwall at hotmail.com> wrote:  From: "nicholas wall" <nctwall at hotmail.com>
To: livingwage2007 at googlemail.com
Subject: Living wage petition
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:38:28 +0000

Hi

I have started a petition on the 10 Downing Street website in support of a 
living wage :

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/living-wage-2007/

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to take steps to replace the 
national minimum wage with a living wage based on the level of pay and 
conditions that enables a full-time worker to make ends meet for themselves 
and their family. Official regional living wage figures should be announced 
such as the one given by Mayor Livingstone for London (currently £7.05 an 
hour).

Why a living wage ?

The national minimum wage does not allow many workers to escape poverty. 
This is because it's set at an arbitary level determined by economists and 
politicians who are often influenced by short term political reasons. In the 
UK 4¼ million adults aged 22 to retirement were paid less than £6.50 per 
hour in 2006. Two thirds of these were women and a half were part-time 
workers. A living wage could ensure that no workers receive poverty pay or 
have to rely on benefits. For further information, read the details beneath 
the petition or visit the website links below.

Why now ?

Following pressure from campaigners, London mayor Ken Livingstone has given 
his full backing to a living wage in London. Figures for the London living 
wage are set and published, and a living wage implementation unit has been 
set up in City Hall. The living wage has been built into procurement 
agreements for the 2012 London Olympics. It has already led to some historic 
victories for low paid workers. After Unison organised the contracted 
cleaning staff in five east London hospitals, a deal was thrashed out which 
has brought the wages of contracted out cleaners from below £5 in 2003 to at 
least £7.48 per hour with improved sick pay and holiday pay.

My petition calls for the initiative in London to be duplicated in other 
regions around the country, and calls on people to support groups of workers 
who are already involved in struggles to secure a living wage.

If you agree with the petition, please show your support politically by 
clicking on the link and filling in your personal details - it only takes a 
minute to complete - and by encouraging your friends, work colleagues or 
e-mail networks to sign up also.

Thanks for your time
Nick Wall

London campaign : http://www.livingwage.org.uk/

TGWU's Justice for Cleaners campaign 
http://www.tgwu.org.uk/Templates/Campaign.asp?Action=Display&NodeID=92473&int1stParentNodeID=42437&int2ndParentNodeID=42467

Facts about poverty in the UK : 
http://www.poverty.org.uk/summary/key%20facts.shtml

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