his autumn statement, and local government is expected to bear the brunt. With caterers already charged with sourcing more Fairtrade, organic, healthy and seasonal products, how do they then ask for more money to pay a sustainable wage?
The British Hospitality Association says the living wage “cannot be implemented without destroying jobs”, while the British Retail Consortium notes the “range of benefits” staff get on top of wages, such as pension contributions and in-store discounts of “up to 15%”. Campaigners, in turn, point to the boardroom. Figures published by the High Pay Centre show that the CEOs of Whitbread and Compass are paid 415 and 418 times the average employee.
Labour’s promised tax breaks for companies that pay the living wage could help. The party has also made the payment of the living wage under government contracts a “priority”. About 30,000 workers could be affected by such a move. Government leadership could also stimulate wider uptake; research by KPMG shows that 5.28m people earn less than the living wage.
As awareness increases, the spotlight turns on those that are struggling to meet expectations. This is a position that not only the grocers have found themselves in.
As Footprint went to press, workers at fast-food companies in more than 190 US cities were gearing up to walk out in the latest of a series of protests demanding a higher minimum wage. And the feeling is contagious.
Meetings have taken place between the US representatives and the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union in the UK. McDonald’s, where 90% of workers are on zero-hours contracts, is in the firing line as protesters call for a £10 minimum. It hasn’t helped itself with statements claiming that workers start on “more than the national minimum wage” – £6.51 rather than £6.50. “Low-cost food retailers don’t have to have a low wage structure,” Gabriel argues. “Look at Mercadona [the Spanish discounter] which pays almost double the minimum wage.”
