Pictured, Katherine Chapman, Director of Living Wage Foundation
Living Wage Foundation joins the Alliance as a strategic partner to drive the living wage through the hospitality sector.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) has announced the addition of the Living Wage Foundation as its newest partner. The partnership will focus on supporting and developing the People pillar of the Alliance’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality, which was launched earlier this year.
The UK-based Living Wage Foundation, which was founded in 2011, joins the Alliance which has nearly 50 donor and affiliate members who have a reach of over 7 million rooms. The Alliance brings together engaged hospitality companies, the wider hospitality value chain, and strategic partners, such as the Living Wage Foundation, to tackle key challenges affecting the planet, people, and places worldwide.
The Living Wage Foundation believes that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay and works to ensure everyone can earn enough to live on. The Living Wage commitment that organisations sign up to, sees that every employee receives a minimum hourly wage of £13.15 in London and £12 in the rest of the UK, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.
The Living Wage Foundation states that the real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 460,000 people and put £3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers. The Living Wage network includes KPMG, Aviva, IKEA and many more.
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted to align with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance on this important issue impacting millions of people globally. In London, the hospitality sector has the highest proportion of low-paid jobs in London compared to other industries, with 52 percent of jobs being paid below the real Living Wage. Our movement in the UK currently has over 14,000 responsible employers who have voluntarily committed to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on. We look forward to developing our partnership and supporting the hospitality sector to achieve fairer wages for all as part of the Making London a Living Wage City project.”
Glenn Mandziuk, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, comments on the addition of the Living Wage Foundation to its network, stating, “As an accredited Living Wage Employer, we, at the Alliance, know the importance of championing fair wages for a hard day’s work, across the sector. Our work on People and Employability addresses issues of fair pay for all, as well as supporting and empowering groups including young people, refugees and women. The real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and our work together over the coming months will drive this message home, across the industry.”
