The Royal Docks in Newham, London, has launched a campaign to become a living wage place, with the aim of increasing the number of accredited employers by 50% over the next three years.
The campaign has been launched at the same time as ExCeL London received living wage employer accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.
A coalition of local public, private and third sector organisations have committed to the campaign, in order to secure a pay rise for approximately 3,000 employees. The long-term goal is to establish the real living wage as the absolute minimum paid by all businesses based in the area.
The Living Wage Place Action Plan, sponsored by the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, will focus on encouraging all businesses in the Royal Docks regardless of sector or size to sign up, with a particular focus on hotels, affordable workspace providers, property developers, aggregates operators, industrial estate employers and landlords.
Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz explained that the council’s action plan to make the Royal Docks the first London living wage neighbourhood in the capital is is based on an aim to ensure the borough is run based on fairness.
David Miles, chief financial officer of ExCeL London, said: “As London’s largest events venue, we’re immensely proud to be a part of the Royal Docks community and are committed to assisting with the area’s wider regeneration plans. As such, we’re delighted to announce we’ve become a fully accredited living wage employer which will make a key difference in terms of recruitment, retention and employee satisfaction here at ExCeL London.”
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, added: “There are currently 61 accredited living wage employers in Newham, all committed to paying their directly employed, and contracted staff, the living wage. This is a great achievement, and we hope to see many more employers in the area commit to pay a real living wage over the coming years to provide thousands more workers and families with security and stability during these challenging times.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said: “Making the Royal Docks a ‘Living Wage Place’ is a big part of making this exciting area a beacon of inclusive and sustainable regeneration, and building a better and fairer London for all.”