Government Departments And The Living Wage

EDM number 711 in 2015-16, proposed by Roger Godsiff on 17/11/2015.
Categorised under the topics of Central government, Incomes and poverty and Pay.

That this House notes with concern that a number of government departments are still not paying all their staff, including contractors, the living wage; observes that departments which pay staff rates below the breadline include the Departments of Work and Pensions, International Development, Education, Health, Business Innovation and Skills and the Home Office; applauds those departments which do pay a living wage, including Energy and Climate Change; believes that there can be absolutely no justification for government departments paying poverty wages; further observes that those being paid at such low rates carry out essential work without which the departments could not operate, including contracted cleaners and security staff; further believes that government departments have a duty to pay all their staff, including contractors, the local living wage, both in Whitehall and across the UK, and must also provide holiday pay and sick pay; further notes with great concern reports of staff being penalised and even dismissed for asking for a living wage; believes that it is utterly wrong for the Government to pay staff too little to survive on; and urges Secretaries of State to take urgent action to accredit their departments as living wage employers to ensure that their staff are not living in poverty.

This motion has been signed by a total of 38 MPs.