Westminster has become an accredited organisation with the Living Wage Foundation, recognising the University’s commitment to paying employees a wage that meets the cost of living in London.
The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at the University of Westminster receive a minimum hourly wage of £14.80, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 21s, which currently stands at £12.71 per hour.
Westminster has engaged with Citizens UK who worked with students and colleagues on three university elective modules to develop the initiative: Introduction to Community Organising, Community Organising and Collective Action, and Community Organising and Leadership. Each module is delivered in partnership with Citizens UK and immerses students in real-world social justice work, using Citizens UK’s five-step model: Organise, Listen, Plan, Act, Negotiate.
As part of their work across these modules, Westminster students led a Living Wage campaign to push fair pay in the UK. The campaign featured a Living Wage Assembly at Westminster’s historic Regent Street Cinema, which brought together London citizens and local campaigners to discuss how to push fair pay at the nearby BBC and expand community action.
Westminster students working on Living Wage campaign
The Living Wage Foundation’s Living Wage remains the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on the cost of living, rising annually based on living costs. Westminster joins over 16,000 accredited employers who have secured over £4.1 billion of pay rises for workers since 2011 and made a profound difference to millions of lives around the UK.
About the accreditation Dularee Goonetilleke, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Westminster, said: “The University of Westminster is proud to pay all employees a fair and liveable wage. The breadth and variety of roles across the University is vast but paying the Living Wage as a minimum allows our colleagues a decent standard of living. A huge thank you to all our colleagues who helped achieve this accreditation together.”
Achieving the Living Wage accreditation directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1: No Poverty, 10: Reduced Inequalities and 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the University of Westminster’s vision, mission and values.
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