New Auckland City Councillor, Josephine Bartley, enters the chambers as a powerful advocate for the Living Wage. The Auckland campaign called for candidates in the Maungakiekie-Tamaki by-election to endorse the Living Wage and only Josephine made the commitment. Her long history of backing decent wages for council workers made her campaign important to us. She won and becomes the first Pacific woman on the Auckland Council.
Josephine's is an important outspoken voice on the council as we head toward a 2019 local government election when we will be seeking a renewed commitment from candidates to move toward a Living Wage for contracted workers. Progress for the directly employed workers continues and a further increase will be implemented in September this year but without this second fundamental leg of the journey there remains an incentive to contract our workers further to save on costs.