Opposition councillors say Ealing Council are not paying staff and sub contractors London Living Wage (LLW) despite the council saying it does.

Liberal Democrats cllrs put forward a proposal at a council meeting on 16 April to ensure that council workers and sub contractors are being paid the LLW they say.

The London Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay, currently set at £13.15.

It is calculated independently to reflect the high cost of living in the capital, giving a worker in London and their family enough to afford the essentials and to save.

At the meeting the Lib Dems say Ealing Labour declared that "we pay all our workers and those in our supply chain the London Living Wage something we have prided ourselves on as an administration."

According to the Lib Dems, the public documents of the Trade Union meeting 17 Oct 2023 show that a school exam invigilator role was advertised paying below the LLW and only about a third of Ealing schools (35 of 102) have committed to it.

There was also an instance of an apprentice being paid well below the LLW and the Lib Dems argue that 'there are probably many more roles being underpaid.'

Liberal Democrat Councillor Athena Zissimos, Opposition Spokesperson for the Environment said: "Liberal Democrats say it is disgraceful that Ealing Labour have been economic with the truth during one of the worst cost of living crisis for over seventy years. 

"There have been instances where school support staff, apprentices and other indirect council employees have not been paid the London Living Wage because there is no clear system for reporting and tracking this issue. 

"Once again Ealing Labour are claiming victory before they have even established meaningful delivery mechanisms."

However, the council explains that possibly academies within the borough are advertising roles which are below the LLW as they do not have to follow Ealing Council's LLW accreditation, which state schools do.

An Ealing Council spokesperson told Ealing Nub News: "Ealing Council has been a living wage employer since 2013. There is no need for schools to accredit individually as they are covered by the council's accreditation. 

"Schools in the London Borough of Ealing that are academies and are managed independently of the council will not be automatically accredited living wage employers. 

"We actively encourage these schools to become living wage employers but cannot force this issue. It is very probable that the school advertising a role below living wage was an academy. 

"As agreed in the meeting with trade unions last year, we will be writing to all governing bodies in our maintained schools, to remind them that they should be paying no less than the London Living Wage as per our Pay Policy Statement 2024-25 agreed by Full Council in March 2024."

To read Ealing Council's Pay Policy Statement for 2024-25, click here.

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