Child poverty persists in Aotearoa, with evidence that the struggle for many working families deepening during the COVID crisis. The Living Wage is more important than ever and in 2021 the Movement will step up the pressure for greater acceptance of decent wage standards in both the public and private sectors.
On April 1, we will announce the new 2021-2 Living Wage rate, which will need to be implemented by September 1 this year for a Living Wage Employer to retain accreditation. This is based on the movement in average annual earnings in the previous June quarter (all available on the NZ Stats website).
On the same day, we will launch the Principal Partner Council, formed to champion the Living Wage across all sectors of the economy. An advisory group to the Governance Board of the Movement, it represents a wide cross section of our accredited Living Wage employers, from the corporate sector, to unions, from social enterprises and SMEs, to charities. While the banks may have become the first Living Wage corporate sector, there are many others with the ability to pay but the inability to apply themselves to the task of ensuring all workers, directly paid and contracted, earn no less that the current Living Wage rate. 2021 will change that!
Members of the first Principal Partner Council meet in 2021
Left to Right: Hiueni Nuku (Porirua Union Community & Health Services); Charlotte Ward (Kiwibank); Jo Sawden (Westpac); Blair Vernon (AMP Wealth Management); Jennifer Del Bel (Downlights NZ); Fiona Michel (Vector); Martin Hill (Auckland City Mission); Annie Newman (E tū Union); Gwilym Waldren (Rogue and Vagabond); Paul Goulter (NZEI); Felicia Scherrer (Living Wage Movement) - front
Absent: Kerry Davies (PSA); Cindy Black (Wiri Licensing Trust)
Learning to build power for change
Poster for Auckland Community Organiser training session
The first of our two-day residential training courses will begin in Auckland on March 5/6. This successful programme trains community leaders in building the power of civil society to win on the big issues, like Living Wage. The Auckland training will be run in conjunction with the emerging community alliance, Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga.
A further programme will run in Wellington in April so, if you are part of a member organisation and want to learn about community organising, build heaps of connections, and have a lot of fun, contact [email protected] to register for the Wellington course.
New community organisers
Interviews are underway for two new half time organisers for Hamilton and Christchurch, following the successful application for funding from our long term supporter, JR McKenzie Trust. After many years of maintaining local networks through voluntary support, these important cities get a chance to build power across their civil society organisations around reducing poverty and inequality through a Living Wage.
Living Wage South Canterbury challenges local bodies
Living Wage South Canterbury has been active finding out the Living Wage status of local bodies across the region.
The Waimate District Council has told the local network that 55 of 77 employees are paid at or above the Living Wage rate while 25 were paid at less than the rate. The cost of moving to a Living Wage, they say, would be $7500, resulting in a rate increase of .08%.
Environment Canterbury employ 690 employees and only three are paid less than the Living Wage. According to Ecan, it is around $1000 to bring everyone to a Living Wage and there is just one contract for service paying less than the Living Wage that could be addressed with a paltry $37,000 annually.
South Canterbury District Health Board last year employed about 990 staff and just seven were paid at less than the Living Wage rate but the board declined to calculate the cost of bringing those seven employees to the Living Wage rate or to investigate whether their contractors pay their staff at least the Living Wage. The network is now seeking a meeting with the CEO to discuss this, given its duty as a DHB is to improve, promote and protect the health of those living within their board area.