PROFILE ON: SWANSEA LABOUR STUDENTS LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN

Swansea Labour Students won the Labour Students Best Practice Award for the Best Labour Students Living Wage Campaign at National Council in December.  Their campaign has continued to go from strength to strength and they have shown how a strong campaign plan rooted in the principles of community organising can deliver campaign success.
 
The club first passed a motion through their Students' Union to ensure their support and gained the support of officers in the Students' Union. The club also sought the support of other societies and groups on campus.

Engaging low paid staff on campus was one of the key elements of the campaign but one the club found difficult at first. Swansea Labour Students Chair, Mitch Theaker said: "the hardest thing was plucking up the courage to actually get out there speak to staff members. But once we spoke to a couple it was simple. Obviously talking about sensitive subjects like pay and your employer to a complete stranger is unusual but the training we'd recieved from Movement for Change enabled us to have these conversations."
 
They've written to their Vice Chancellor who has responded stating that the University do pay the Living Wage but ignored the 202 staff revealed to be paid lower by a Freedom of Information Request put in by Swansea Labour Students.

This month the club were pleased to have the support of David Miliband MP who visted the University to support the campaign and they plan to meet with the Vice Chancellor soon - so watch this space for more news!
 
 

Swansea