Last week, a rally at Westminster Central Hall marked ten years since the launch of the London Living Wage campaign.  This remarkable campaign was started by Telco, the coalition of East London churches, mosques, trade union branches and community groups.  They have since been joined by similar groups from across the capital to form London Citizens.

Being paid the Living Wage makes a real difference.  It allows people to provide their families with the basics without struggling.

The rally learned the new rate of the London Living Wage - £8.30 per hour - and of the rate set for the first time for people working outside London, £7.20.  (The statutory minimum is £5.93 per hour, rising to £6.08 from October.)  A new Living Wage Foundation has been established to promote it.  It will authorize employers to display a ‘Living Wage’ logo to show they pay the living wage, as firms like Tate & Lyle and Traidcraft use the fair trade logo today. 

The campaign has had its biggest successes in finance.  Barclays Bank was the first large employer to sign up, giving cleaners a big pay boost.  Barclays says the rise has paid for itself by reducing the turnover of cleaning staff.  The Olympic Delivery Authority was another early signatory.  The campaign estimates it has won over £40 million of Living Wages for workers so far.

Mark Constantine, founder of handmade cosmetics retailer Lush, was at the rally.  He announced that Lush had committed to the Living Wage – the first retailer to do so.  And London Citizens announced it will be campaigning for a Living Wage pledge from retail giant Tesco, whose store cleaners are currently paid just £5.96 per hour.

This excellent campaign has had success already, but I have no doubt its biggest impact is still to come.