Local campaigners have welcomed today’s announcement that the Living Wage is to rise from £7.45 to £7.65 an hour. The announcement comes at the start of Living Wage Week, which aims to celebrate those employers that have signed up to pay their staff a higher rate of pay. Neil Duncan-Jordan, chair of the Living Wage For Dorset campaign said: “We know that in Dorset, around 1 in 4 workers gets less than the living wage, and yet 75 per cent of all local employment is provided by just 16 per cent of companies. This means that some very big employers are choosing to increase their profits rather than pay their staff a decent wage. We also know that for every £1 spent on the living wage, the tax payer gets back 50p in higher taxes and a reduction in claims for in-work benefits. It’s an absolute scandal that 60 per cent of all benefit claimants are also working.
Dorset is renown for being a low wage economy with large numbers of people employed in low paid sectors such as retail, hospitality, care work, agriculture and food production, but the bubble is going to burst. Why should tax payers and low paid workers subsidise some of the most wealthy businesses in the country? Over the next six weeks the Living Wage for Dorset campaign is embarking on a social media campaign, aimed at raising the profile of the issue amongst the public and securing more support. Campaigners are also in talks with leaders of political parties, faith groups and local businesses and hope to announce new living wage employers over the next few months.
