Case study: St. Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School, Wrexham
Pupils at Minera Voluntary Aided Primary School celebrating their school's commitment to the Living Wage.
Mrs Maria Rimmer with pupils from St Joseph's Catholic
and Anglican High School.
What you can do
If you're affiliated with a group or organisation which employs staff, find out if they are paid the Living Wage. Even if they employ staff through a contractor you may be able ask them to increase pay. TCC has factsheets available - get in touch for more information.
Consider approaching local businesses - TCC can provide support.
You can meet with your local county councillor to get them to ask for a Living Wage for council employees. TCC has a step-by-step guide available with lots of useful facts for the meeting. Please get in touch if you would like any support or resources.
If you know of a local employer who already pays the Living Wage please tell us so we can celebrate their achievement!
Most importantly, if you earn less than the Living Wage please get in touch to share your experience - people's personal testimony (anonymous or otherwise) is the most important tool in this campaign.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate, which is calculated each year as what is needed to afford the cost of Living in the UK. Currently it stands at £9.50 an hour (outside of London).
Unfortunately the minimum wage in the UK isn’t enough to afford the cost of living today. This is currently £8.72 an hour for those aged 25 and over, £8.20 for those aged 21 to 24, £6.45 for those aged 18 to 20, or £4.55 for anyone under 18.
The Living Wage means not just having literally enough to you keep alive, but having food, shelter, and also having the opportunities and choices you need in order to participate in society. It is about having a minimum, socially acceptable quality of life.
Increasingly people are finding it impossible to get by on the minimum wage alone. Many working families are facing crisis, being forced to turn to food banks, loans, or hand-outs. The majority of children living in poverty have at least one parent who is working.
2008 - TCC succeeds in getting the National Assembly for Wales to pay the Living Wage to all its employees.
2012- The Diocese of St. Asaph commits to paying the Living Wage.
2012 - St. Francis Catholic Church in Llay pays the Living Wage to its administrative staff.
2012 - The Presbyterian Church of Wales commits to the Living Wage.
2013 - St. Joseph's Catholic and Anglican High School starts paying the Living Wage.
2013 - The Presbyterian Church of Wales extends this commitment to include a contracted member of staff.
2014 - Wrexham Quakers pay their contracted cleaner the Living Wage.
2014 - Minera Voluntary Aided Primary School commit to paying their staff the Living Wage.
Of the 2026 jobs at Flintshire Council which are paid less than the Living Wage, 89% of them are done by women.
After being approached by TCC in 2013, St. Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School in Wrexham made the decision to ensure all of its staff are paid the Living Wage. As a result 12 members of staff received a pay increase. The positions include cleaners, administration assistants, and teaching assistants. All 12 employees are female.
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Mrs Maria Rimmer, who was Headteacher at St Joseph's Catholic and Anglican High School at the time, said “We’re proud to pay the Living Wage; it’s reassuring that our staff feel valued."
Since starting to pay the Living Wage the school has noticed a reduction in staff sickness level.
North Wales Living Wage Successes
Bishop Gregory Cameron, proud to be leading the Diocese of St. Asaph in paying the Living Wage.
Workers paid a Living Wage work harder, take fewer sick days, and stay in their jobs for much longer. Some employers, such as Barclays bank, have found that the money saved from these benefits meant that paying the Living Wage was cost neutral.