Did you hear about the history-in-the-making event at Expressway recently? Maybe you were actually there? Whether you had the chance to be there in person or just saw the buzz on social media and in the press, here’s a quick rundown of this recent London Living Wage event and why it was so important…
The aim of the event
The event was held at Expressway (where Marco HQ is based) with the aim of bringing together local employers to discuss the benefits of paying the London Living Wage and encourage anyone not already accredited to sign-up.
Even before the cost-of-living crisis, the majority of workers in frontline, low paid jobs were not earning enough to cover the basics, due to the minimum-wage not being based on the current cost-of-living. Workers and their families are struggling even more in London than in other areas of the UK due to the higher cost-of-living here. The Living Wage Foundation is heading a UK-wide movement that is gaining momentum every single day, with groups of employers and frontline workers around the country raising awareness and urging every employer to step-up and commit to paying a real living wage.
Who was there?
There were almost too many organisations there to name (so apologies in advance and please let us know if we miss anyone!). It was an absolute pleasure to be in the company of
Enabled Living (who also spoke at the event – see below)
The Newham and Enterprise business team
Event highlights
The event could not have gone better on the day itself and the ongoing publicity has been fantastic.
Enabled Living spoke at the event about their experiences of being not only a Living Wage employer, but the first Living Hours employer in Newham. This means that, in addition to paying their employees a living wage, they ensure that every employee is guaranteed a minimum amount of working hours so that they have guaranteed income.
There was a networking lunch where attendees could talk to each other about the many benefits of being Living Wage accredited to businesses as well as employees (such as attracting better employees, better employee retention and development, more motivated people etc etc).
But the most powerful voices were those of the frontline workers themselves. So, we will end this with the quote from Michael Lascelles, local Frontline worker who attended the event, which is being shared all over social media:
“At times it can be challenging working in health and social care, but being paid a fixed salary and hours not only means I can plan ahead, but it also motivates me to be productive because I know my time and work is being valued by my employer. My kids can’t believe I’m at work. I go to work happy and return feeling the same. I feel like I am breaking the cycle and creating opportunities for my children to reach their potential. All because of a fair wage.”
If you’d like to discuss becoming a Living Wage employer, we’d be happy to chat to you. Or please do call us on 0208 590 0922 or email us at info@marcomedia.co.uk for anything design, print or web related!