Putting a fair and living wage at heart of city

I AM delighted to read of City of York Council’s very welcome decision both to pay the living wage to all of its employees, and to factor this in to contracts with outside companies from April 2014.

In September 2012, the York Fairness Commission presented its Final Report to the leaders of City of York Council at an event at Bishopthorpe Palace.

The presentation of the report followed months of work to see how inequality and unfairness can be tackled across York, in the face of a difficult economic situation nationally.

The first of seven key headline recommendations of the report was to make York a living wage city and inspire Yorkshire to become a living wage region. It is fantastic to see this work come to fruition.

Introducing the living wage recognises that people should be paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work.

We need to value each and every person, and ensure that those in work are not trapped in poverty due to low pay.

Paying a decent wage for our workers is a sign that as a nation – publicly, privately, corporately and individually – we recognise the unique contribution of each person to the common good.

Well done City of York!