Real Living Wage is a gamechanger for workers and employers in Dundee

Real Living Wage is a gamechanger for workers and employers in Dundee, says Lynn Cunningham from the Poverty Alliance

Lynn Cunningham is the Poverty Alliance’s Living Wage Accreditation Officer for Dundee. Newly-appointed, she is championing the business benefits of paying the real Living Wage of £8.45 an hour to the area’s employers and influencers.

Why were you drawn to this line of work?

My career has always been focused around the area of tackling poverty. Over the past 25 years, I’ve been employed as an advisor to the Money for Life programme delivered by Colleges Scotland, a policy and development officer (Education Scotland), and latterly as the managing director of Tackling poverty charity – Craigowl Communities – part of the Hillcrest Group.

My work with credit unions also means that I’ve had a great deal of experience with money advice and welfare rights issues. I’ve seen at first-hand that an increasing number of people are struggling with benefit cuts, debt and employment problems. It’s made me determined to be part of the solution.

I’m delighted to be working for The Poverty Alliance which is absolutely at the forefront of addressing poverty in Scotland, particularly through its high-profile real Living Wage campaign.

What are the challenges and opportunities of campaigning for the real Living Wage in Dundee?

Dundee is a city with unique challenges … and opportunities. On one hand, it is successfully positioning itself as a modern European city with a billion-pound investment in the high-profile Waterfront and City Quay regeneration projects. But there’s another side to the city with major social issues surrounding poverty, low pay and unemployment regularly making the headlines.

Shockingly, two out three Scottish children living in poverty are within working households, so paying the real Living Wage can make a real, positive difference

And as the city continues to grow and attract visitors to its hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions, there’s a great opportunity to work with hospitality and retail businesses to demonstrate the value of paying the real Living Wage.

If businesses can recruit top notch staff, visitors get a good experience and the city gets return visitors. I strongly believe that paying the real Living Wage is vital if you want to attract the right people.

Dundee City Council has already done a lot of work promoting the real Living Wage. The council set a great example by gaining accreditation last year and threw its support behind November’s Living Wage Week. There is a great deal of commitment from elected members, senior officers and other partners to support the real Living Wage campaign and the low pay agenda.

I am also working closely with Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce and other business networks to get the message across.

It’s great to be working in an area where people are already rooting for the campaign.

Your work as an Accreditation Officer for The Poverty Alliance is focused on persuading Dundee employers to pay a real Living Wage. How do you convince them to sign up?

The link between paying the real Living Wage and what you get from staff in return is well documented. If staff are treated well, employers will reap the benefits of increased productivity, better attendance levels and a strongly motivated workforce.

Becoming a Living Wage employer sends a strong message about company values, which in turn makes it easier to recruit – and retain –  top quality staff.

It can also attract ethically responsible consumers and even extends to competitive tendering.

By being accredited as a real Living Wage employer – like Dundee City Council  -companies can demonstrate their commitment to Fair Work when tendering for public sector work.

Achieving accreditation boosts the reputation of a business, which is why lots of employers are proudly displaying the Living Wage ‘badge’ on their websites, on social media – or even in their windows.

There are lots of employers in Dundee already doing this – so it makes sense they enjoy public recognition for this and get accredited.

Does the Living Wage extend to contract workers?

Accreditation reaches not just directly employed staff, but also captures third party contract workers who are regularly on site – two hours a day over an eight-week period. We don’t need employers to overhaul their business model and where there are relevant suppliers with whom you have long contracts with, we help you reach out to them to negotiate a reasonable date for those staff to get the real Living Wage. A good rule of thumb is – if they are on your site for two hours in any day, then they are most likely in the scope of your accreditation.”

Why is the real Living Wage important for workers?

In survey after survey, it’s proven that low wages have a detrimental effect on the health and well-being of staff. By paying a Living Wage, firms send out a signal to employees that they are working for an organisation that really values and rewards their contribution.

And becoming a real Living Wage employer doesn’t just have benefits for the accredited organisation, it can have an important impact on the supply chain as well. Increasingly, we are seeing firms us their influence on their suppliers to improve the wages of third party contract workers, like cleaners and support staff.

What’s the difference between the real Living Wage, the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage?

The real Living Wage is a wage calculated independently that reflects the cost of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, on a voluntary basis. The National Living Wage/National Minimum Wage – set by the UK Government - is lower and is the legal minimum an employer can pay an employee.

Is it true that real Living Wage accreditation involves a lot of paperwork?

Businesses shouldn’t fear the paperwork. In fact, it’s a straightforward online licence that is easy to do and doesn’t require paperwork to attach to it. The online licence takes around 10 minutes to fill in if you've done all your checking.

For larger or more complex organisations, I can work with you to get ready for your accreditation application.

And remember, for your suppliers it only applies to those contracted staff on your premises two hours a day over an eight-week period.

Then once you are accredited and when the new rate is announced in the first week of November, employers have six months to bring in the new rate – though we hope that happens sooner rather than later.

Your accredited living wage employers in Dundee include Allison & Stiven Ltd., DP&L Travel, Dundee Plant Company Ltd., and The James Hutton Institute. How do employers sign up?

They can get in touch with us at accreditation@povertyalliance.org

Businesses will receive information and support from us, and be part of a network with the chance to learn from others, attend and organise events, and support a movement that addresses in-work poverty in Scotland.

On a personal note, I’m keen to get the message across to the Dundee business community and am happy to come out to speak to employers, staff and business organisations. You can contact me by telephone 07846 375349 or email

lynn.cunningham@povertyalliance.org

About the real Living Wage

• The real Living Wage in Scotland is £8.45 an hour for all workers over 18.

• The yearly cost of being accredited is low, starting at £60 for 0-10 employees.

• Paying the real Living Wage can count towards scoring for tenders with local government and the Scottish Government.

• The advantages of accreditation are many: accredited employers say they've seen reputational benefits; enhanced productivity; greater staff retention; and more effective recruitment.

• Research from accounting giant KPMG revealed that seven out of 10 UK adults would consciously shop in favour of a Living Wage accredited retail chain.

• The UK Government’s National Minimum Wage applies to workers aged 24 and under. It’s £5.60 per hour for 18-20 year olds, rising to £7.05 per hour for 21-24 year olds. The UK Government’s National Living Wage of £7.50 applies to workers aged 25 and over.