Campaign for a Scottish Living Wage launched

by Malcolm Burns

The campaign for a ‘Living Wage’ in Scotland of at least £7 per hour was launched on 5 May in Dalmarnock, Glasgow - the community which will be at the heart of the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

The choice of Dalmarnock for the launch of the Scottish Living Wage Campaign reflects a UNISON Scotland focus on building community links within the East End of Glasgow with a view to establishing the Commonwealth Games 2014 as a living wage games.

UNISON Scotland was responsible for the production of a film exploring the experience of low pay amongst young people in Dalmarnock which was premiered at the campaign launch.

As Kenny Faulds, a young community activist featured in the video, says: “Supporting the campaign for a living wage means supporting sustainable local communities.”

The aim of UNISON and the East End activists is to make sure that the people in some of the poorest communities in Scotland will benefit from meaningful jobs with a living wage in the run up to the Games, and also as part of a legacy which continues long after 2014.

At the campaign launch, the leader of Glasgow City Council Stephen Purcell accepted the first ever Living Wage Employer Award for the city’s initiative in establishing a Living Wage of £7 per hour for all its workers.

Mr Purcell said: “It is simply unacceptable that almost one in five of Glasgow’s workers are paid less than £7 an hour and the Glasgow Living Wage has the potential to make a huge difference to thousands of families across the city.”

UNISON Scotland has been actively involved in building the Scottish Living Wage Campaign over the past year. Members and branches will be actively engaged in ensuring that the Glasgow example is replicated in the City Council’s own arm’s length bodies such as Culture & Sport Glasgow, as well as its suppliers - not least for the Commonwealth Games - and also by an increasing number of public sector employers across Scotland.

The Scottish Living Wage Campaign is also supported by a range of community, trade union and campaigning organisations including the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC), the Poverty Alliance, the Scottish Churches Social Inclusion Network and the Scottish Interfaith Council. Link to Briefing on Scottish Living Wage Campaign www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/206livingwage.pdf

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