Unison union pledges £10,000 to Living Wage Brighton campaign

A campaign to push up people’s wages has received financial backing for another year.

Since launching in 2012, more than 120 businesses and organisations have signed up to Living Wage Brighton.

This means employers have pledged to pay its staff a minimum of £7.65 an hour, a move which campaigners claim is a big help to those working and living in one of the country’s most expensive cities.

Thanks for an agreement for £10,000 of funding from the local Unison branch, the campaign will now keep going for another year.

According to a message on its website: “The living wage campaign in Brighton and Hove has been on quite a journey since its launch in April 2012 and this two year campaign was originally going to come to an end next month.

“However, due to its success the team behind the campaign have been working to secure another years’ funding and so far are pleased that Unison has announced that they will be (part) funding activity from April 2013.

“Then when more funding is secured, a longer term plan will be put in place to drive the message forward up to the general election of 2015 when the living wage will be one of the key topics for all party debate.”

The campaign is led and managed by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce and funded by Brighton and Hove City Council and Public Service Board.

Alex Knutsen, of Unison, told The Latest, the campaign was “highly impressive and highly successful”.

He added: “This is not about recruiting members, it is about getting people a decent and living wage for the work they do.”

For more details, visit www.livingwagebrighton.co.uk.