Call for Everton and Liverpool Football Clubs to become Living Wage employers

The North West TUC and Frank Field MP have today called on both Everton and Liverpool Football Club to become Living Wage employers, after a letter from the Birkenhead MP revealed that staff at Liverpool, and contracted out staff at both clubs, are not paid the Living Wage rate.

As new figures revealed one in four workers in the North West are paid below the Living Wage rate of £7.65 (this is due to rise with an announcement of a new rate on Monday), both the TUC and Frank Field say that those who can easily afford to pay staff a living wage should do so. They believe that both Everton and Liverpool can and should make sure their cleaners, catering staff and security guards are paid enough to live on, given the multi-million pound turnover and the well publicised high salaries of players at both clubs. On Friday, Everton announced record profits of £28 million. Both the TUC and Frank Field believe that the clubs becoming accredited living wage employers would be a positive boost to the community and send a strong message that they recognise and reward their lowest paid staff.

Lynn Collins, North West TUC Regional Secretary, said:

“Low paid work is a blight on workplaces, our communities and our economies. More importantly, it has a negative impact on the workers receiving such wages and their families. It’s incredibly disappointing that two football clubs, with revenues well in excess of £100 million pound, double in the case of LFC, with wage bills amounting to tens of millions of pounds, do not pay their hard working, low-paid staff a little more. Whether directly employed or via a contractor, both Everton and Liverpool can reward their staff, set an example and be the first Premier League clubs to become Living Wage accredited employers.”

Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead, who wrote to both clubs to ask them about their payment of the Living Wage, said:

“The Living Wage is just that - a wage that is felt to be the basic minimum required for someone to live on. Not paying it has consequences for the individual and society - increased poverty, knock on effects to their health and wellbeing, impacts on family life and for the rest of us a higher spend on in work benefits like working tax credits and housing benefit. Football clubs that are meant to be sources of civic and community pride, that carry proudly the names of their community, should set an example and reward their staff.”

There are two events taking place next week that we are involved with to mark Living Wage Week, which runs from 2nd - 8th November 2014. These are:

North West launch of the Living Wage rate, 8:30 - 11:30am on Monday 3^rd November 2014, at the Chapman Building, University of Salford.

The event on Monday 3^rd November, chaired by Kate Green MP, will feature talks from Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart, trade unions and many other employers who pay the Living Wage including Salford University, local small business Salut Wines, Nationwide and YMCA.

It also features the launch of a report from Centre for Local Economic Strategies, about how local authorities can promote the Living Wage as employers, as influencers and as drivers of the local economy, and how devolution of powers to local authorities could be coupled with economic benefit and strategic commitments to promote the Living Wage.

Press are welcome. Contact for further details, or see the press release also attached to this email.

Young Persons Play - Brass Razoo. Thursday 6th November, 5:15pm - 6:15pm. Liverpool City Centre

Seasons Playhouse — a youth theatre group — will be hosting a play and community discussion about low incomes in Liverpool, as young people see it. Using input of over 140 young people from around Merseyside, they have created a play called “Brass Razoo”, to be shown during Living Wage Week.

It will take place on Thursday 6th November 2014 between 5:15pm – 6:15pm at the Black E Theatre, 1 Great George Street, L1 5EW.

The event will be a short performance of a play, as written, directed and acted by young people, followed by a community discussion about what needs to happen to end poverty in Liverpool, lead by:

    •       Stephen Twigg, MP for Liverpool West Derby

    •       Jane Corbett, Councillor for Liverpool City and North

    •       David Carter, CEO of the Whitechapel Homeless Service, Liverpool

Come along ready to watch and take part in discussions and debates. This part of the 'Poverty Ends Now' England wide, young people's anti-poverty campaign.

You can register to attend here http://www.brassrazoo.eventbrite.com/

Press are welcome. Contact for details

- Follow the North West TUC on Twitter - @NWTUC 

Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Jay McKenna  M: 07788 414578 E: jmckenna@tuc.org.uk