Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Mayor increases London Living Wage as Haringey remains one of 85% of London Councils not subscribing
As the London Living Wage rose from £7.85 to £8.30 per hour, it seems that Haringey Council is still paying below the recommended level to some workers. An FOI request made by the Green Party in the London Assembly revealed that only five out of 32 councils are paying the wage for sub-contracted workers. Only Ealing, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets, Islington and Southwark councils have a living wage policy.
The London Living Wage, which is set by the London mayor at a level calculated as necessary to get by in the capital, rose on 3 May to reflect an increase in the cost of living.
A report by the Greater London Authority found that an hourly rate 22% above the £5.93 national minimum wage, £7.23, was needed in London just to be above the poverty threshold.
A spokesman for London Councils, which represents the 32 London boroughs, said paying the living wage to all sub-contractors was complex.
"In most cases, boroughs have to wait until contracts are up for tender or renegotiation before encouraging contractors to implement it," he said.
"Complicating matters is the fact that local authorities have a duty to deliver best value through public sector contracts which can be difficult to reconcile with implementing the London living wage."
However, hyperlocal blog and newspaper Hackney Citizen reports "According to SERTUC (Southern and Eastern Trades Union Congress), 'It's often reported by council officers and elected members that there’s nothing they can do about putting a living wage threshold in contracts – this is simply not the case. There is no definitive legal opinion on this subject as no case has been brought to court.
'According to Recital 33 of the EU Procurement Directive on Public Services and Utilities, a public sector organisation [such as Hackney Council] can adopt a living wage policy stipulating that quality and good value depend on good employment practices. Under EU rules, contracts can be awarded on the basis of 'most economically advantageous tender', not just the lowest price."
I try to avoid putting in too many FOI's to the Council. So, do any of the councillors who read HoL have any information on what the impact is in Haringey Council? How many employed and sub-contracted workers are paid below the London Living Wage or the GLA's 'London Poverty threshold wage'.
Tags for Forum Posts: london living wage
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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I'd encourage you to send in your FoI, Hugh. And please do it through WhatDoTheyKnow.com which has the enormous advantage that anyone anywhere can then access the information through that website.
Haringey is justifiably proud of its record on anti-poverty measures. So I foresee no problem in your getting accurate and comprehensive answers to an F.o.I.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Awright guvnor, done.
I just don't want to be too vexatious in these tough times.
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Permalink Reply by alex on
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In Feb, Sustainable Haringey visited the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility) in Edmonton, which takes Haringey's recycling waste (unless this has changed with the Veolia contract). They discovered workers were only paid the minimum wage of £5.90 per hour (and health and safety didn't look the best). They took this up with Biffa / North London Waste Authority, but I don't know the outcome.
As mentioned in a previous post, some of the Veolia street sweepers (agency) said they are on the minimum wage.
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Attached is Haringey's response to my Living Wage FOI enquiry.
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LLW FOI response.pdf, 205 KB
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Thanks Hugh.
I've just seen the reply and have posted my colleagues the links to both this thread and the reply to your F.o.I. Inquiry.
(Labour councillor Tottenham Hale ward)
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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The council ought to be setting an example, especially considering that the Haringey Top-100 receive an average of more than £70,000.
Moreover, the council might aspire to the ratio of 20x that the Prime Minister suggested a while back, i.e. that the least well-paid should be paid at least a twentieth of the most well-paid.
Is this arrangement fair to the rest of the council's employees?
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Thanks, Clive for the link to the Evening Standard. Both stories happen to be untrue. Which you could have spotted here on Haringey's website.
I agree the Council should be setting an example on the London Living Wage. Which is why the Council is in the process of increasing the minimum wage we pay our staff to reflect the recent increase in the LLW.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on
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