Greater Manchester leaders recognised at Living Wage Champion Awards

Efforts being made to make Greater Manchester a Living Wage City-region have been recognised at the Living Wage Champion Awards.

The awards, held by the Living Wage Foundation on 5th July, commended the city-region’s Living Wage City-Region action group for their role in growing the number of Living Wage Employers in Greater Manchester.

The action group, led by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and Local Enterprise Partnership Chair, Lou Cordwell, was established in May 2021 to accelerate plans to ensure all workers in the city-region are paid a living wage by 2030.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: 

“We’re proud to be recognised for our achievements in securing a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work for people across Greater Manchester. With the cost-of-living crisis having a sharp impact on communities, our Living Wage City-Region plans are more vital than ever.

“While we’ve made great strides towards our initial targets, there’s still a lot more work to be done. Working through our Living Wage City-Region action group and Good Employment Charter, we will continue to tackle in-work poverty by making the case for the real Living Wage.”

Since Andy Burnham’s election in 2017, nearly 500 more employers across Greater Manchester has attained Living Wage Employer status, committing to paying all staff a real living wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation as a minimum. The Living Wage currently stands at £9.90 per hour.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation, said: 

“Despite the continuing challenges of the past two years, the Living Wage movement has never been stronger – we’ve continued to grow, welcoming our 10,000th employer, and tonight we come together to recognise some of the outstanding leadership these employers have shown.

“The Living Wage Champion Awards 2022 are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the importance of a wage that covers the cost of living and the value this provides for workers and businesses, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis, and I warmly congratulate Greater Manchester on their deserved award.”

The annual Living Wage Champion Awards celebrate notable employers that pay the Living Wage. This year they recognised the movement welcoming its 10,000th accredited Living Wage Employer. The awards were sponsored by Aviva and Everton FC.