Martin Cook.

Ipswich: Lowest paid workers at borough council to get increase on minimum wage to improve standard of living

By Paul Geater Wednesday, March 13, 2013
3:07 PM

While most local authority staff have had their salaries frozen for another year, the lowest-paid workers at the borough will be seeing an increase this year.

The council has decided to bring in the “living wage” for all its staff – which will see the wages of about 90 members of staff increase.

Until now the borough’s lowest-paid staff have received the minimum wage.

The Living Wage Foundation is backed by major employers, trade unions, charities, and politicians from all sides of the spectrum to try to ensure everyone is paid enough to live in some comfort.

For people living outside London, the living wage rate is £7.45 a hour compared with the minimum wage for adults of £6.19 an hour.

The borough says that increasing the salary of its lowest-paid staff will add about £260,000 – or 1% – to its wage bill.

Borough councillor with responsibility for finance Martin Cook said: “We’re introducing it because we believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

“Morally it’s the right thing to do but based on the experience of other employers we also expect to see gains in productivity, reduced absenteeism, lower staff turnover and better customer service.

“Nationally it’s been calculated that if the five million people currently earning below the living wage were to be uplifted the Treasury would be £2bn net better off as a result of increased income tax revenues and reduced benefits payments after allowing for the increase in the wage bill.”

The £260k cost included on-costs (like pension and NI liabilities).

Staff union Unison has been leading the call for the living wage to be introduced in the public sector.

Michelle Bradley from Unison said: “We are very pleased that Ipswich council is taking this lead which is good for the whole area – we hope other employers take up the challenge.”

Elsewhere in Britain the living wage has been adopted by employers as diverse as accountants KPMG and charity Save the Children.

Is the living wage good for staff? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk

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11 comments

I'm disappointed that people working in full time jobs still need their meagre income supplemented by state benefits in order that they might subsist. Any measure which seeks to eradicate this particular obscenity should, in my view, be welcomed.

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Sugar

Sunday, March 17, 2013
Why should someone working at nights or at weekends at IBCSCC get paid anymore than anyone else doing exactly the same job, for example, on a Tuesday during the daytime? That's bizarre. As a self employed person I get paid exactly the same rate whatever day I am asked to work by my clients and I don't have any safety net re: sick pay, holiday pay and pension. I have to do all that myself. Public sector employees.....all having a laugh at the expense of those of us that create the real wealth in the private sector. I wont be able to retire in my mid-60s thanks to the State picking my pocket year after year.

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Steve Blake

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Penfold the mole: So if the Council doesn't work on Saturdays, who do you think staffs the Sports Centres, The Swimming Pools, The Regent The Corn Exchang?, Who opens and maintains the many Parks in the town on weekends? Who grits the roads if it snows on a weekend or during the night? Who checks on the Licensing of the various night spots and Taxis in the town? Who comes out to assess environmental issues such as noise nuisance during the night? Who's staff is it that man the CCTV 247? Who's staff is it that attend the elderly via the HEARS scheme should they require assistance again 247? So maybe you should at least have an inkling of the facts before you make such ill informed sweeping statements about an entire workforce!

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england1770

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I'm with Penfold and The Fat Lady. As a friend of mine put it after recently being made redundant from the financial services industry and going to work for the Council, "It's great. I just go in and come home again. Easy work and absolutely no pressure whatsoever."

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Just Me

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
40 HOUR WEEK [300 POUND ,NOT BAD.] SOME CLEANERS GET MORE BUT THEY WORK HARD FOR IT.GOOD MOVE C. COUNCIL.

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TERENCE MANNING

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
And,more to the point "Would you want to" ?

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freedomf

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
"Is the living wage good for staff" My question is "Could you live on it" ?

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freedomf

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Penfold the mole, you are incredibly ignorant of what life is really like working in the public sector. Most of what you wrote is absolute garbage.

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Public Purson

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Does the living wage take into account pensions!? council workers normally get paid a nice pension on top of their wages. Which are normaly less than than the private sector, but it is made up in better working conditions with pension, better sick payholiday pay less hours etc try phoning the council at 1630 and they are closed! Is the council open on a saturday NO only us working in the private sector work at the weekend ! if we have to phone or go to the council we have to go between 0930 and 1630 ! The council has already laid off lots of people, due to cost cutting exercise! surely this money would have been better spent keeping those in work instead of making them redundant and adding to the dole queue! To top this the council has increased our council taxes due to a budget shortfall! now they are spending(or should i say wasting) our money yet again! you couldnt make this up !

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penfold the mole

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Not very happy about this, the council just increased council tax by 1.9% because they claimed they were facing a budget shortfall... and instead they spend £260K on themselves! if you want to increase your wage bill sell Portman Road, sell Ipswich buses and sell Crown Pools and then you can... but do no tax us all more under the pretence that "its for services" when it isn't, its for some pipe dream Labour Party socialist idealism.

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Fat Lady Sings

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
What an inane question - how can it be anything but good for staff? Very positive move by the council.

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IpswichExile

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

More politics

FOOTBALL VIOLENCE MUST BE STOPPED