A Living Wage For Aucklanders - Learning From London

Auckland Conversations

A ‘living wage’ is defined as the wage necessary to provide an employee with a sufficient income to ensure an adequate standard of living and the ability to fully participate in society. It is independently calculated and updated annually, and nearly 80 businesses around New Zealand are now accredited as Living Wage Employers. So how does an organisation or business make the transition and start phasing in a living wage? How is the wage calculated? And what are the benefits once it is established? Auckland Conversations is proud to host economist and author Alan Freeman. As Principal Economost for the Greater London Authority, Freeman established the first Living Wage Unit in the UK in 2001. London’s model was so successful that the campaign subsequently grew into a national movement with local campaigns across the UK. Auckland has been inspired by the London experience, and now we have the chance to learn from it. This event is co-hosted by The Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand, which was founded in 2012 on the commitment to raise the wages of the working poor. Their campaign aims to secure a living wage as a way to reduce growing inequality and poverty in New Zealand.