Landmark reached in Living Wage employer numbers


The University of Manchester has become the 5,000th organisation to be accredited as a “Living Wage employer” by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF). 


It means that everyone working at the institution, whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors, will receive the voluntary Living Wage of £9 an hour, substantially higher than the statutory National Living Wage (NLW), even after that increases this April (see page 5). 


The LWF says the number of accredited Living Wage employers has now more than doubled since the government’s NLW, the minimum wage for those aged 25 or over, was announced in 2016. At least 180,000 workers have had a pay rise from accredited Living Wage employers, with over £800 million extra put into workers’ pockets as a result of the campaign.


Since Manchester University’s accreditation was announced, it was joined by New College Lanarkshire, while Liverpool University has agreed to apply for Living Wage status. 


Public services union UNISON, which organises non-academic staff members in colleges and universities, welcomed these moves and urged others to follow. However, it named and shamed Kelvin College, Clyde College, Borders College and North East Scotland College as institutions who have not committed to paying the Living Wage.


https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/living-wage-employer

https://www.unison.org.uk/our-campaigns/the-living-wage

https://www.livingwage.org.uk/news