The living wage : advancing a global movement / edited by Tony Dobbins, Peter Prowse.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Dobbins, Tony, editor.

Prowse, Peter, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Minimum wage.

Living wage movement.

Cost and standard of living.

Working class.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (231 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2022.

Summary:

As wealth inequality skyrockets and trade union power declines, the living wage movement has become more urgent for public policymakers, academics, and--most importantly--those workers whose wages hover close to the breadline. Most governments' minimum wages are still falling short, meaning millions of workers struggle to cover living costs.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables

Contributors

Acknowledgements

1Introduction

History of living wages

Living wages versus minimum wages

The structure of the book

Part 1 The living wage in the UK - Sector studies

Part 2 The living wage in international comparative contexts

References

Part 1 The Living Wage in the UK: Sector Studies

2 The Living Wage Foundation's 'Real Living Wage' Campaign

Introduction

Working in the Same Offices, Living in Different Worlds: a Brief History of the Living Wage Campaign in the UK

The Living Wage Foundation

Rate Calculation

Political Support

Business Benefits

Tackling Low Pay in High-Revenue Industries

One Contract at a Time - the Role of Service Providers

Holistic Approaches to Pay in Retail and Hospitality

Charities and Grant Makers

Harnessing the Power of Local Authorities

Place-based Approaches to the Living Wage

Beyond the UK - Global Living Wage

Living Hours - Tackling Insecurity and Underemployment

Conclusion

3 The Real Living Wage and 'The Good Employer' in UK Football Clubs

The Living Wage in the Context of UK Football Clubs

Case Context and Methods

Case Study of the RLW at Luton Town

Why Did Luton Become a RLW Employer?

Implementation/practicalities of the RLW

Fit With Inclusive 'People Strategy' and CSR

Benefits, Outcomes, Employee Experiences

4 Outsourcing and the Real Living Wage: Evidence From the United Kingdom

Campaign Objectives

Impact On Outsourcing

Impact of the Living Wage On Contract Employees

Scale of Impact

Characteristics of Contract Employees Benefiting From the Living Wage.

Characteristics of Employers With Workers Benefiting From the Living Wage

5 Employer Experiences of the Living Wage in the Higher Education, Hospitality and Construction Sectors

The Contextual Landscape

The Decision to Adopt the Living Wage: Exploring Employer Motivations

The Organizational Impacts of Adoption and Implementation of the Living Wage: Employer Experiences

Discussion

Concluding Remarks

6 What About Care Work and In-Work Poverty? The Case of Care Workers in the UK

The Rise of Mixed-Care Provision

The Organization of Social Care

The Social Care Workforce

Pay in the Social Care Sector

Reasons for Low Pay in the Social Care

Research Methods

Biographical Data

The Nature of the Job

Respondents' Views About Pay and Conditions

Low Pay and In-Work Poverty

Respondents' Knowledge of the Living Wage Rates

Opportunities to Improve Pay

Note

7 Making the Living Wage Work in SMEs Evidence From Accredited Employers in the UK Hospitality Sector

The SME Context

The Hospitality Context

Methodology

The Case Studies

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Motivations

Benefits

Implementation

Industry-related Issues

Conclusion and Outlook

Part 2 The Living Wage in International Comparative Contexts

8 The Living Wage and the European Union

Living Wage: Alternative Approaches

Policy Background

Minimum Wages in EU Member States: Converging to a Living Wage?

A Living Wage Campaign: Ireland

Related Initiatives in Other EU Member States

Conclusions

Notes

9 Wages and Working Conditions in Outsourced Services in Europe

Introduction.

Low Pay and Precarious Work in Outsourced and Subcontracted Services: Common Patterns and Different Trajectories

Closing Protective Gaps

Insourcing and Re-Municipalization

Extend/strengthen Collective Bargaining

Minimum Wages

Labour Clauses in Public Contracts

Voluntary Codes of Conduct

Country Initiatives

Spain - Building a New Collective Agreement for Outsourced Catering Workers

UK - Localized Labour Clauses for Outsourced Care Services

Germany - Voluntary Agreements in the 'Shadow of the Law'

Discussion and Conclusion

10 Are Collective Bargaining Models in the Nordic Countries Able to Secure a Living Wage? Experiences From Low-Wage ...

Background

The Front-Runner Models and Solidaristic Wage Policy

Low-wage Guarantees Through Collective Bargaining

Food Industry - Augmented Minimum-Wage Rise

Retail - Prioritizing Those With a Stable Connection to the Industry

Construction - Emergence of Low Wages in an Industry With No Tradition of Low-Wage Challenges

Cleaning and Hospitality - Industries With Little Regulatory Capacity Through Collective Institutions

Wages and the Problem of Low Wages Are the Responsibility of the Social Partners

Instruments Need to Be Developed in a Changing Labour Market

The Challenges - Can the Social Partners Also Ensure an Acceptable Wage Floor in the Future?

Are We Going to See Living Wage Campaigns in Scandinavia as Well?

11 The Living Wage, Fight for 15, and Low-Wage Worker Campaigns in the US

Living Wage Campaigns

Higher Wages Today?

The Fight for 15 Campaign

Voluntary Living Wage Increases

Impacts of Living Wage and Minimum-Wage Organizing

Employment Versus Local and State Labour Laws.

Living Wages, Federal Jobs, and a Basic Income

12 The Living Wage Movement in Canada

Characteristics of the Low-Wage Workforce in Canada

Regionalism and the Living Wage Movement in Canada

Perspectives From the Workforce and Employers On the Living Wage

Implementing the Living Wage Among Employers in British Columbia

13 The Belated Return of an Australian Living Wage: Reworking 'A Fair Go' for the 21st Century

The Evolution of Wage Setting and the Return of a Living Wage

Remaking the Case for a Living Wage

Adequacy and Capacity: Does Australia Get the Balance Right?

The Real Minimum Wage

The Minimum-To-Median Relativity

Low Pay Prevalence

Industry Comparisons

Wage Theft as an Emerging Threat to the System's Integrity

14 Employer and Employee Perspectives On the Living Wage in New Zealand

Introduction - New Zealand's Living Wage Context

Employer Perspectives

Coping With the Rising Minimum Wage

The Living Wage: Rethinking Jobs and Careers

The Living Wage: a Social, Not Simply Employment Problem

Going Living Wage: Mutual Gains, Distinct Challenges

Internal Complexities in Larger Organizations

Sustaining the 'win-Win' in Small Firms

15 Living Wage Initiatives in the Garment Sector: Insights From Southeast Asia

The Regional Context

Living Wage Initiatives

Examples of Living Wage Initiatives

The Institutional Logics of Different Living Wage Initiatives

Selected Living Wage Initiatives in Southeast Asia's Garment Industry

Brand-driven Initiatives: H&amp

M's Living Wage Commitments

Multi-stakeholder Initiatives: Fair Wear Foundation.

Union-brand Initiatives: Action, Collaboration, Transformation

Union Initiatives: IndustriALL's Regional Strategy On Living Wages

Union-NGO Initiatives: Asia Floor Wage Alliance

NGO Initiatives: Global Living Wage Coalition

Conclusion: Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Approaches

16 Conclusion

Minimum Wages Are Not Living Wages

Living Wages in the Neoliberal Era

European Collectivism and Trade Unions

A New 'Social Contract' for Decent Work

A Global Living Wage

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781003054078

1003054072

9781000448672

1000448673

OCLC:

1264473714