At the Mayor’s Question Time today, 14th July, Green Party Assembly Member, Darren Johnson, asked the Mayor whether he supports the Prime Minister’s proposal that no public sector worker will earn more than 20 times the lowest paid person in their organisation. The response from the Mayor was an unequivocal ‘yes’, setting a new standard to help reduce the pay inequality gap among public sector workers in London.
Darren Johnson said:
"I am pleased that the Mayor confirmed he supports the principle that no public sector worker will earn more than 20 times the lowest paid person in their organisation. It won’t eradicate pay inequality, but it’s a step in the right direction. Now we need to see how he will implement this."
The question followed this motion passed by the London Assembly on the 16th June by 13 votes to 11.
"This Assembly notes the Prime Minister’s pledge to limit the highest public sector pay settlement to no more than twenty times that of the lowest worker, and the Equality Trust’s proposal to aim for pay inequality to be reduced to no more than ten times. The Assembly also notes that within the GLA Group there are approximately 90 staff paid more than ten times the London Living Wage.
This Assembly calls on the GLA Chief Executive, the Mayor, the Police Authority, the Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, the Board of Transport for London and the Board of the London Development Agency to commit themselves to reducing the difference in pay between the lowest and highest paid staff to no more than 20 times, with a long term goal of no more than 10 times."
Notes to Editors
On the latest information (17th March 2010) there is one individual within the GLA group earning more than twenty times the London Living Wage and approximately 90 staff paid more than ten times.
Staff in the GLA group, including subcontracted workers such as cleaners, cannot be paid less than the London Living Wage. It is not known exactly what the lowest wage received is. The London Living Wage for 2009/10 is £7.60 an hour, which works out at an annual Full Time Equivalent salary of £13,577.