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Â鶹ÊÓƵ recognised for work on Living Wage

Published: Monday, 15th November 2021

Â鶹ÊÓƵ has been recognised for making Â鶹ÊÓƵ a Living Wage City today (15 November).

This follows Â鶹ÊÓƵ and local employers’ work to ensure their staff are paid a real Living Wage that helps meet every day needs.

It was announced along with the new Living Wage rate £9.90 for all workers aged 18 and over to mark the start of Living Wage Week (15-21 November), at a special event hosted at BVSC’s headquarters in Digbeth.

The event, hosted by Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities and Amrick Singh Ubhi, Vice Chair of BVSC and Director of Civic Engagement at Nishcam Civic Association, also showcased employers such as the Archdiocese of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, National Express, and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ signed up to becoming a Living Wage employer in 2012, lifting 1,700 council employees more than 600 non-council employees out of low pay onto the real Living Wage.

To date around 7,000 workers across Â鶹ÊÓƵ have seen their income rise as a result of more city employers committing to paying the Living Wage.

Cllr Cotton, who also chairs the Making Â鶹ÊÓƵ a Living Wage City Group, said: “This is fantastic news for Â鶹ÊÓƵ, as employers big and small are signing up to pay their employees the real Living Wage.

“The fact the rate has gone up to £9.90 is great but there’s still more to be done as almost 20 per cent of the city’s workforce still don’t receive this level of pay - and it’s an even higher proportion for women.

“This about social justice and so, as a city, we have to lead by example. Our ambition over the next three years is to double the number of people in Â鶹ÊÓƵ being paid the real Living Wage”

Since then, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has been joined by more than 100 Living Wage employers with headquarters in Â鶹ÊÓƵ – including some of the biggest names in finance, transport and construction.

The Living Wage Foundation leads the national campaign – which began in 2001 - for employers to pay the real Living Wage, which is the only UK wage rate paid voluntarily by more than 9,000 businesses in the UK, benefitting around 300,000 employees.

Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Today’s new Living Wage rates will provide a welcome pay boost for thousands of workers throughout Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the West Midlands.

“We are also delighted to recognise Â鶹ÊÓƵ today for Making Â鶹ÊÓƵ a Living Wage City, with the city planning to double the number of workers getting the real Living Wage to 14,000, freeing many more families from the low pay trap. We hope to see many more towns and cities in the West Midlands follow suit.”

Workers who are paid the real Living Wage will see a pay increase by 15 May 2022, which is when the new rate must be implemented by Living Wage employers.

For more information about the Living Wage, visit