This Council Meeting notes –
· The cost of living continues to rise with inflation consistently remaining higher than the Bank of England’s target of 2%, energy bills are rising, water bills are rising and fuel costs are rising.
· The National Minimum Wage, introduced by the Labour Government in 1998, made work pay and improved the lives of millions of people across Britain.
· The introduction of a Living Wage by local authorities and other employers.
· That as of January 2013, 458 contracted Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council employees and 193 casual workers were paid less than the £7.45 per hour Living Wage. 95% of these employees are based in Stockport’s schools.
This Council Meeting further notes –
· That workers in Greater Manchester earn some of the lowest wages in the country. Hourly wages for the lowest 10% of workers have fallen by 50p (7.5%) over the past two years. Annual wages for part-time workers have fallen by an average of 19.8% (£619), and for full-time workers wages have fallen by 6.1% (£904) in the last two years.
· In Greater Manchester, 40% of children grow up in poverty. Brinnington and Central ward has a child poverty rate of 45%. 58% of children growing up in poverty have a parent who works.
· Workers in local government have the lowest earnings of any other public sector workers.
· Over half of each pound local government workers earn is re-spent in local economy.
· That organisations that have introduced a Living Wage have seen improvements in staff morale, retention and productivity whilst also seeing decreases in staff absenteeism.
· If the National Minimum Wage had kept pace with salaries of CEOs in FTSE 100 companies since 1999, it would now stand at £18.89 per hour.
· The pay scales for the Chief Executive of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council are between £147,588 and £170,051.
This Council Meeting believes –
· That a person should be paid enough to live decently and to adequately provide for their family.
· That Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council should be an exemplar employer.
This Council Meeting therefore requests –
· That Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council adopts a Living Wage policy for its employees and pays a minimum hourly rate of £7.45.
· That this new minimum rate should be applied to all directly employed staff as soon as is practicable.
· That the Council undertakes to work with Local Authority Maintained schools in Stockport to enable schools to pay their staff the Living Wage by the start of the academic year 2014/15, if not sooner.
· That the Council undertakes to encourage schools that are not Local Authority Maintained (Academies, Voluntary Aided, Free schools) to be encouraged to adopt the Living Wage for employees.
· That the Council investigates how a requirement for contractors to pay the Living Wage can be introduced into the Council’s procurement policies.
· That the Living Wage rate paid by the Council is uprated annually in-line with the recommendations of the Living Wage Foundation.
· That the Council works with local employers to encourage them to adopt a Living Wage for their employees.
Moved by: Councillor Alexander Ganotis
Seconded by: Councillor David Sedgwick
Minutes:
MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes –
· The cost of living continues to rise with inflation consistently remaining higher than the Bank of England’s target of 2%, energy bills are rising, water bills are rising and fuel costs are rising.
· The National Minimum Wage, introduced by the Labour Government in 1998, made work pay and improved the lives of millions of people across Britain.
· The introduction of a Living Wage by local authorities and other employers.
· That as of January 2013, 458 contracted Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council employees and 193 casual workers were paid less than the £7.45 per hour Living Wage. 95% of these employees are based in Stockport’s schools.
This Council Meeting further notes –
· That workers in Greater Manchester earn some of the lowest wages in the country. Hourly wages for the lowest 10% of workers have fallen by 50p (7.5%) over the past two years. Annual wages for part-time workers have fallen by an average of 19.8% (£619), and for full-time workers wages have fallen by 6.1% (£904) in the last two years.
· In Greater Manchester, 40% of children grow up in poverty. Brinnington and Central ward has a child poverty rate of 45%. 58% of children growing up in poverty have a parent who works.
· Workers in local government have the lowest earnings of any other public sector workers.
· Over half of each pound local government workers earn is re-spent in local economy.
· That organisations that have introduced a Living Wage have seen improvements in staff morale, retention and productivity whilst also seeing decreases in staff absenteeism.
· If the National Minimum Wage had kept pace with salaries of CEOs in FTSE 100 companies since 1999, it would now stand at £18.89 per hour.
· The pay scales for the Chief Executive of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council are between £147,588 and £170,051.
This Council Meeting believes –
· That a person should be paid enough to live decently and to adequately provide for their family.
· That Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council should be an exemplar employer.
This Council Meeting therefore requests –
· That Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council adopts a Living Wage policy for its employees and pays a minimum hourly rate of £7.45.
· That this new minimum rate should be applied to all directly employed staff as soon as is practicable.
· That the Council undertakes to work with Local Authority Maintained schools in Stockport to enable schools to pay their staff the Living Wage by the start of the academic year 2014/15, if not sooner.
· That the Council undertakes to encourage schools that are not Local Authority Maintained (Academies, Voluntary Aided, Free schools) to be encouraged to adopt the Living Wage for employees.
· That the Council investigates how a requirement for contractors to pay the Living Wage can be introduced into the Council’s procurement policies.
· That the Living Wage rate paid by the Council is uprated annually in-line with the recommendations of the Living Wage Foundation.
· That the Council works with local employers to encourage them to adopt a Living Wage for their employees.
AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - Delete all bullet points after “This Council Meeting further notes” and insert the following words:
“that, whilst our schools and suppliers should be encouraged to pay their staff appropriately, there are considerable logistical and financial difficulties that would result from any attempt by the Council to impose the Living Wage upon them.”
Delete all bullet points after “This Council Meeting therefore requests” and insert the following bullet points:
For the amendment 62,
AMENDMENT CARRIED
The amendment was then put as the substantive motion and it was
RESOLVED – (62 for) This Council Meeting notes –
· The cost of living continues to rise with inflation consistently remaining higher than the Bank of England’s target of 2%, energy bills are rising, water bills are rising and fuel costs are rising.
· The National Minimum Wage, introduced by the Labour Government in 1998, made work pay and improved the lives of millions of people across Britain.
· The introduction of a Living Wage by local authorities and other employers.
· That as of January 2013, 458 contracted Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council employees and 193 casual workers were paid less than the £7.45 per hour Living Wage. 95% of these employees are based in Stockport’s schools.
This Council Meeting further notes that, whilst our schools and suppliers should be encouraged to pay their staff appropriately, there are considerable logistical and financial difficulties that would result from any attempt by the Council to impose the Living Wage upon them.
This Council Meeting believes –
· That a person should be paid enough to live decently and to adequately provide for their family.
· That Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council should be an exemplar employer.
This Council Meeting therefore requests –