Demo for Cambodian living wages outside Adidas in Oxford St this Wed 10am

I got this email from SERTUC this morning:-
"Labour behind the label/C.CAWDU demonstration outside Adidas

Date: 17 September Time: 9am – 10am
Location: Adidas Store, 415-419 Oxford St, London W1C 2PG

On 17 September there will be a global day of action called by global unions to demand an increase in the minimum wage in Cambodia from $100 to $177. As part of its solidarity actions on the day, the TUC will be supporting the demonstration being held by Labour behind the label and the Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union (C.CAWDU) outside Adidas on Oxford st.

This demonstration will be calling on Adidas, H&M, Gap, Zara, Levi's, Puma, Walmart, and C&A to commit to an increase in the minimum wage in Cambodia. Please come along and show your support and spread the word through your networks.

For more information, please see:

https://www.facebook.com/events/691857020895533/?ref=22

Queen Supports Care UK/Bridgepoint Strikers!

This lunchtime I went to support Care UK strikers from Doncaster outside their real employer's headquarters at Bridgepoint Private Equity,  95 Wigmore Street, London, W1. I had just missed seeing Rock legend, Dr Brian May from the band "Queen" at the protest (see centre picture).

Apparently Brian had been driving past and saw the protest. Check out this report on FaceBook from one of the strikers "So just in London striking and Brian May of Queen walks over to me gives me a hug and says well done for what we are doing.... Absolutely gobsmacked"

Brian May tweeted  "Guys from Doncaster protesting destruction of NHS by Cameron. They are RIGHT. BBC shamefully not reporting this. Bri".

The Doncaster Care UK/Bridgepoint Private Equity protesters have suffered massive pay cuts since they were transferred from the NHS to Care UK. One striker I spoke to is losing £400 per month in wage cuts. Other strikers are new staff who want Care UK/Bridgepoint to pay them the UK Living Wage rate. They are now on their 63rd day of strike action. This is turning into one of the longest disputes in social care ever in the UK.

I understand that Private Equity investor Bridgepoint has huge investments in Personal and Social Care in the UK. This sector is a massive risk to Bridgepoint investors. Imagine what would happen to your reputation and investments if there was yet another social care scandal at a project they had recently taken over and got rid of experienced staff and replaced them with untrained and inexperienced workers on minimum wage and zero hour contracts?

Also with them were strikers from Your Choice Barnet ("YCB" in red tee shirts) who are on their 2nd day of strike action over pay cuts.  They also look after disabled children and adults and Tory Barnet Council is planning to cut their wages by an average 10%. The Doncaster strikers had shown them solidarity at thier picket line that morning and they were showing their support in return.

3 Million People Struggle to Feed & Clothe their Children in UK: Official (& What to do about it)

This is the post I was going to publish on Boxing Day but thought that by doing so I would be a bit of a Christmas misery. Instead I posted this. 

In the run up to Christmas, the information and campaigning Group InequalityBriefing.org produced the above report on the 3 million people in this country who live in poverty (or "severe material deprivation" as defined by the ONS). This affects at least 5% of our population.

Next they published a briefing that showed the richest 1% in our society have got richer. In 1978 the top 1% got 6% of national income while in 2009 (latest figures - note under a Labour government) they got 14%!

Finally, on 20 December they published a report called "Can you live on a minimum wage?". They used figures from my Borough Newham (which is one of least expensive places to live in London) which shows if you survive on a minimum wage you would have £4 per week after paying for your essential living expenses. Of course people can't live on that and either work all the hours they can,  have 2 or 3 jobs, use food banks or depend on loan sharks (legal or otherwise).

I spent Christmas in North Wales and visited members of my family who do really difficult jobs and are bringing up kids on a minimum wage and insecure employment contracts. Life is really tough for them.

So what is the answer to widespread poverty and inequality in Britain?

The answer in my view (apology for rant) has got to include:- 

• A Living Wage for all as the new minimum wage. A Living Wage that will (eventually) also pay a living pension, decent sickness benefits and employment rights.
• Binding Wage councils between trade union and employers in sectors that can afford more than a living wage. 
• Truly progressive taxation to make sure that those who can really afford it - pay their fair share.
• Democratise shareholding to make sure that our Pension and insurance funds take their responsibility of ownership serious and stop us being ripped off by excessive executive remuneration.
• Re-balance power in the workplace and enable trade unions to protect workers and win back a greater share of national income for wages.
• Quality and well funded public services designed to prevent people falling into poverty in the first place and bringing them out if they do.
• Better regulation and intervention by local and national government to fix broken markets and protect consumers.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of each particular policy above, unless there is change then I am convinced that the long term future of this country as a free (but imperfect) stable Parliamentary democracy subject to the rule of law is at risk.

If the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer then you don't have to have a degree in history to know what will eventually happen. The Labour Party needs to resume its historic mission to act and save capitalism from itself.

"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country"

I think many people will be surprised that an American President ever said such a thing. But it makes perfect sense. 

 

I recently discussed a national living wage with someone who argued that a living wage rate was okay for a rich area such as London but not for poorer regions such as the South-West of England. He argued it would destroy jobs in those poorer areas.

 

Thinking about it now I should have argued "why?". If it was legally binding to pay a living wage and all companies had to pay it then there would be no competitive advantage to pay poverty wages. The introduction of the national minimum wage showed that a wages floor does not destroy jobs.

I would go further than FDR and make it clear that a living wage should also include pensions, holidays and sick pay but perhaps that what he meant by "the wages of decent living". 

"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level. I mean the wages of decent living."

 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933".