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“Quite simply, it is the right thing to do.”

Chelsea Football Club, on 11th December 2014, became the first English professional football club to be accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Not only will their workers all now receive at least the established Living Wage, but the Club will be working with their contractors and agencies to ensure those employees are also paid the Living Wage. Chelsea Chairman Mr. Bruce Buck is quoted in the media as having said that: “As a responsible employer we are proud of this significant achievement for the club. We believe the move to the Living Wage underlines our commitment to ensuring that all our employees receive a fair rate of pay for their hard work and dedication. Quite simply it is the right thing to do.”
“It is the right thing to do.” Let us hope and pray that those employers in Cayman who have been opposing Cayman moving even to just a basic minimum wage will finally want to “do the right thing” too. And will indeed embrace the Living Wage concept so that if we ever get ‘minimum wage’ legislation in Cayman it will be a meaningful rate that can help workers to get fair pay for a fair day’s labour. At present, the Living Wage in the UK, which is a voluntary standard, is £7.85 an hour and the current London Living Wage is £9.15 an hour (recognising that the basic cost of living in London is higher than in the rest of the UK). These rates are 21% and 41%, respectively, higher than the statutory Minimum Wage in the UK.
Chelsea FC, who remains at the top of the English Premier League and has only lost one match this season,   is not the only “winner” to embrace the voluntary commitment. The Living Wage Foundation reports that “an independent study examining the business benefits of implementing a Living Wage policy in London found that more than 80% of employers believe that the Living Wage had enhanced the quality of the work of their staff, while absenteeism had fallen by approximately 25%.”
And it is not just big businesses – many of whom, like the big accounting firms, are major employers in Cayman – that have embraced this principle. The Foundation reports that family-run cleaning business CTS Cleaning Solutions Ltd is proud to be the UK’s first Living Wage accredited cleaning company. It quotes its Managing Director, Mr. Peter Cooke, stating how his childhood experiences shaped his commitment to ethical business: “I grew up in a family that was impacted by poor pay and conditions, and vowed that I would always respect and value my employees; the Living Wage embodies that belief.”
The Living Wage Foundation stresses that it “recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage Employers across the UK. We believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty.” It is difficult to understand how even the most “conservative” person could be against a principle that is not about giving away anything but to allow people to work their way out of poverty by receiving a livable wage for a hard day’s work. Our God is God of abundance, not deprivation – there is sufficient for all of us if we follow God’s principles. Obviously if all our employers in Cayman did “the right thing” (as we should all be doing), there would be no need for legislation to “force” anyone to do anything.  But we know that is not the case and the weakest are taken advantage of by people who are unscrupulous and selfish. Let’s help Cayman to “do the right thing” and enact properly developed Living Wage legislation.

Posted by: Administrator Tuesday Dec 23, 2014 10:05
Categories: Cayman Islands, relief | Tags: encouragement, helping others, Justice, Prayer, Renewal & Transformation, strengthening