GM first to be recognised for Living Wage City-Region plans

Greater Manchester becomes first city-region officially recognised by the Living Wage Foundation for its ambitious plans to increase take up of the real Living Wage.

The move means that employees across all 10 boroughs are paid a real Living Wage and offered good contracts and working conditions. The city-region's progress towards this target has been recognised by the Living Wage Foundation, the independent body which champions the real Living Wage based on the cost of living and which accredits employers.

Greater Manchester has put in place a dedicated taskforce working across different sectors of the economy to engage with employers and encourage them to support our ambitions. The achievements will be marked at a Living Wage Foundation event at the People’s History Museum.

Earlier this year, the Mayor established a Living Wage City-Region action group to bring together businesses, unions, local authorities, faith groups and voluntary and charitable organisations to drive forward plans.

The number of accredited Living Wage Employers has increased around threefold since 2017, with almost 384 employers in the city-region – covering around 100,000 employees – granted Living Wage Employer status.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “We’re proud to be the UK’s leading Living Wage City-Region. It’s a testament to the work we’ve done across our 10 boroughs, with businesses, the VCSE sector and other organisations, to show that paying the real Living Wage is not only the right thing for communities – it’s the right thing for employers too.

“Payment of the real Living Wage is changing lives here in Greater Manchester. It’s the difference between just getting by and having a good wage that allows you to do more than simply pay the bills. We’ve made great progress but, with the rising cost of living felt sharply in some of the most disadvantaged places, we know there’s still a long way to go. That’s why we’re going to be out there this week making the compelling case for every single employer in our city-region to pay their workers the real Living Wage.”