Labour Students' Living Wage Campaign

You may have seen in the Guardian that Labour Students are launching a campaign for the Living Wage in higher and further education institutions across the country, a campaign which David Miliband will be supporting on his university tour.

The media unsurprisingly focused on the story of David Miliband’s return to frontline politics, leaving mentions of the Living Wage to the end, or in some cases not mentioning it at all. But this focus on personality politics misses an important point. With this move David has committed to campaign for a Living Wage.
 
Labour Students members have prioritised campaigning for a Living Wage this year and will be building local campaigns on their campuses to negotiate a Living Wage agreement. We’ve prioritised it because we believe that those who keep our institutions running should not be paid a poverty wage. It’s the people you don’t always see on campus, who are there before we arrive in the morning and stay late into the night; keeping our campus clean and secure. They often have to work long hours or work several jobs to make ends meet. This means they have to choose between living in poverty and spending less time with their families.
 
Given the economic climate and the devastating cuts being made to our education sector, it would be easy to question why Labour Students are prioritising campaigning for a Living Wage now. But it is when things are hard that it is most important that we stand up for our values and put them into practice. We may be in opposition, but we’re still a party of action, delivering change and social justice. The Tory-led government is attacking the poorest in society and despite the cuts our Vice Chancellors are still taking home six figure pay packets, it’s time to challenge the status quo. Campaigning for a Living Wage is the right thing to do.
 
Paying the Living Wage not only benefits the recipients. Where the Living Wage has been implemented in the UK already, employers have found that turnover and absenteeism have reduced, productivity has increased and customer satisfaction has gone up.
 
Affording to pay a Living Wage is not impractical in the current climate – any costs would be offset by the benefits to both the employer and employees. It is a question of priorities, and we believe it is right that paying people enough for the basics of life should be number one on the priority list.
 
Samantha Kennedy
National Campaigns & Membership Officer, Labour Students