CATERING staff at Ealing schools will be paid the London Living Wage (LLW) from August, Ealing Council has announced.

Last month the Council was branded a 'disgrace' for failing to make sure that catering staff at Ealing schools were being paid the LLW for the last eight years, since it became an accredited living wage employer.

Yesterday (May 5), Leader of the Council cllr Julian Bell and cabinet member for schools and children's services Yvonne Johnson, wrote to Unison reps to confirm that school catering staff in the borough will be paid the LLW from August 1, when the new ISS contract kicks in.

The news comes as a result of the Council's negotiations with the 55 members of the Ealing School Catering Consortium (ESCC).

The letter states: "The ability of schools to fund wage increases at the pace we would like to see has been severely constrained in recent years by the miserly increases in funding for universal free school meals provided by the Tory government.

"The most recent increase, in September 2020, of just 4p per meal, fell well short of covering the cost pressures from both the increasing minimum wage and rising costs of food.

"Ealing Council, however, agrees with the school meals staff and Unison that progress towards paying catering staff the living wage they deserve has been too slow.

"Given this, therefore, we're delighted that we have been able to assist schools in identifying funding that will permit all tiers of catering staff currently paid below the LLW to receive an uplift to meet it from day one of the new contract.

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"Ealing's school meals staff have worked tirelessly, in difficult conditions, throughout the pandemic to ensure the continued provision of vital meals for the borough's children.

"They deserve a decent, living wage that reflects that commitment.

"This of course applies to all contracted workers and we are currently reviewing all contracts awarded by the council to identify any other instances of the LLW not being paid."