Make the Living Wage mandatory, says London Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones
Ahead of a London Assembly Economy Committee discussion about the minimum and living wage in London, Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones has welcomed the Mayor’s aspiration for “the London Living Wage to become the norm” in his 2020 vision, and called on him to press for a mandatory living wage to achieve this, starting with medium and big businesses.
At Mayor’s Question Time last month the Mayor agreed with Jenny that taxpayers were subsidising big companies through in-work benefits, that paying everyone the living wage would reduce the benefit bill, admitted that he “could do better” than his target of signing 250 companies up to the living wage, and said his ambition was for “100%” of companies to pay the London Living Wage.
Jenny earlier this month called for the London Living Wage mandatory, revealing that over a thousand big businesses would still be paying poverty wages by the time the Mayor left office under his manifesto commitment.
Jenny commented:
“London’s economy isn’t working for the 700,000 people on poverty pay. Everyone should earn enough to build a life on, covering their basic living costs and giving them time to see their family and be involved in their community.
“Paying everyone a living wage would slash the benefit bill, freeing up billions over the next few years for the Mayor to invest in job creation schemes like housing and renewables. This could help to offset any extra unemployment created.”