[Albion] Albion paying all casual match day staff at least a living wage, others aren't

[Bozza]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...ue-clubs-obscene-failure-pay-national-living/

(paywall article, but you can register quickly to view it for free)

Extract:

On the first day of what is set to be the most lucrative ever season for the world’s richest league, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that workers at Premier League football matches and the country’s other most money-spinning sporting events are regularly being paid less than the “real” cost of living.

An investigation by The Telegraph discovered that the teams’ commitment two years ago to paying an independently calculated living wage to all permanent staff is being undermined by their ongoing use of cheaper casual labour.

Manchester United, Southampton, Stoke City, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Watford and newly promoted Huddersfield Town all admitted to [directly employing casual staff on contracts which pay below the independently-calculated living wage] when approached.

Beyond Chelsea and Everton [who are the only two top-flight sides accredited as doing so by the Living Wage Foundation], the only Premier League clubs to explicitly deny directly employing casual staff on less than the independently-calculated living wage were Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester City, Swansea City, Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Very, very glad that we are. It's morally repugnant not to, especially given the 5-6 fold increase in revenue we're about to get.

We're presumably not accredited because, err, we're yet to play a PL game, unless we could have got accredited in the Championship and chose not to? (I've used up my one free article a month subscription so can't check the rest of the article to see if it talks about whether the independent body checks any clubs below the PL). I hope we get accredited asap - the club have already been in the press once about pay issues, I don't want a repeat. To be clear, I totally accept the club's protestations of an admin error about the last time, but mud sticks. We need to not only be above board, but be seen to be above board. Get accredited asap.

I wonder what the other clubs' who deny paying less but have been in the PL for donkey's years excuse is for not getting accredited? I'm a little suspicious of their claims that they are not paying less than the "real" cost of living.

 

[Justice]

Minimum wage / living wage pushes people into poverty why not pay them a decent wage?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Minimum wage / living wage pushes people into poverty why not pay them a decent wage?

The living wage (as distinct from the minimum wage) is expressly designed to keep people out of poverty. That's why I strongly support the campaign to set the minimum wage at the living wage level, reset annually to take account of inflation.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Does the article actually say that Brighton are paying all casual match day staff at least a living wage or just that
they explicitly deny directly employing casual staff on less than the independently-calculated living wage?

 

[Return of the Rev]

Minimum wage / living wage pushes people into poverty why not pay them a decent wage?

Because players and agents need more cash?

 

[The Birdman]

Also every staff member got a bonus for the promotion..well done TB

 

[drew]

The living wage (as distinct from the minimum wage) is expressly designed to keep people out of poverty. That's why I strongly support the campaign to set the minimum wage at the living wage level, reset annually to take account of inflation.

Isn't the minimum wage for under 25s only?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Isn't the minimum wage for under 25s only?

No - £7.50 ph for over 25s since April '17; £7.20 last year.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Does the article actually say that Brighton are paying all casual match day staff at least a living wage or just that
they explicitly deny directly employing casual staff on less than the independently-calculated living wage?

From the excerpt given, it's clearly the latter. I'm happy to take them at their word, though there is the question of how much people are being paid who are indirectly employed - i.e. via an agency.

 

[severnside gull]

Very pleased that we pay a decent hourly rate.
Worth noting among all the rhetoric that this article related to employees who predominantly work 6 or 7 hours a week for 20 weeks a year. Morality aside it isn't the biggest employment issue compared to, for example, the scandal of zero hour contracts.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Very pleased that we pay a decent hourly rate.
Worth noting among all the rhetoric that this article related to employees who predominantly work 6 or 7 hours a week for 20 weeks a year. Morality aside it isn't the biggest employment issue compared to, for example, the scandal of zero hour contracts.

True, but all the club can do is to do the decent thing for employees (whether direct or indirect) when they are employed by us. If every employer did the same, problem solved.

 

[TheJasperCo]

Is the living wage London-weighted? Although I'm not surprised to see Palace on the list, it's worth noting if there is a bonus for staff living and working in the capital.

 

[Triggaaar]

Because players and agents need more cash?

I wouldn't blame the players, it's the owners that decide whether or not to pay other staff a fair wage.

 

[Triggaaar]

Is the living wage London-weighted?

Maybe, but I doubt it is in Croydon.

 

[SAC]

Is the living wage London-weighted? Although I'm not surprised to see Palace on the list, it's worth noting if there is a bonus for staff living and working in the capital.

Yes. £9.75 for London and £8.45 for outside London. London is the area covered by the Greater London Assembly (and includes Croydon).

 

[Postman Pat]

I did note from the Athletico game that we seem to have outsourced stewarding to Phoenix. Does this also apply to them, and Sodexo for catering and whoever we use for cleaning?

Not sure who is left on a matchday that is directly employed by the club.

 

[batch_91]

I worked in the concourse at Bramall Lane for a season during my uni days...I think I took home more in leftover pies (record was 7 in a binbag x£3.00) than I ever did in wages.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Also every staff member got a bonus for the promotion..well done TB

Only the full time staff did. Not the matchday staff.

 

[GreersElbow]

I worked as a steward in the first season of the Amex. I was on about £8 an hour, it was brilliant - free piglet pies at the end and i was regularly in the 1901. So I basically got paid to watch us play.