The UK living wage

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the value that UK trade unions now place on the living wage.Design/methodology/approachThe author is the TUC’s Pay Policy Officer and examines the issue from a practitioner’s perspective.FindingsThe living wage now has a well-established place within the hierarchy of pay demands adopted by UK trade unions. This continues a tradition of unions supporting norms and regulations as an adjunct to collective bargaining. However, support had to be achieved through a process of negotiation with the broader UK living wage campaign.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes that there are good prospects for the living wage, and thus for the continued trade union support.Social implicationsThe living wage standard is seen as having a strong moral basis, which often helps to win agreement with good employers. This results in a steady stream of workers out of in-work poverty. The credit for such pay increases is often shared between employers and trade unions.Originality/valueThe paper is written by a practitioner with inside knowledge and experience of the entire course of the living wage campaign in the UK and how it has been adopted and integrated by trade unions.