After nearly a decade of lobbying and negotiation, the campus Trade Unions are delighted that Swansea University has now agreed to be a real Living Wage employer starting April 2020. This will immediately benefit 1014 staff who were previously paid below that level. The Trade Unions have been at the heart of this campaign since the day it launched.

In 2016 Swansea UCU brought this matter to the attention of the Wales Education Minister asking him to urge HEFCW to mandate the Wales HE sector to address and implement the Living Wage for their employees. In a letter dated 20 March 2019 to the Chair of HEFCW, the Minister clearly stated that the Welsh Government expected HEFCW to prioritise fairness and equality for to staff working in the HE sector by the 19/20 financial year as a condition of continued funding from the Welsh Government.

As a sabbatical officer in Swansea Students’ Union, along with UCU, Unite and Unison we organised Living Wage campaigning, inviting several national speakers to come and speak.    I recollect in particular the speech delivered in 2012 by David Miliband, former Foreign Secretary.  Addressing staff and students, he said: “This policy was condemned as a ‘job killer’ when it was first introduced, but it will turn out to be one of Britain’s biggest ever policy successes for living standards.”  The deeper motivation is that a decent and fair minimum wage for all pays dividends in a happier workforce who feel properly rewarded for their labour. In turn it means less necessity for state benefit support, thereby enabling taxpayers’ money to be diverted elsewhere, e.g. social care, care for the elderly, primary/secondary education, policing, transport, NHS, etc.

While touring Wales during the 2019 election, the previous Chancellor stated: “The national living wage is set for another big rise next year after Brexit.”  The present Chancellor is right to be signalling now where it should go after 2020. However, I personally believe he should also ensure that the next phase of increase in the Living Wage should be based on careful examination of the evidence in the post Covid-19 situation.

We congratulate Swansea University management for taking this difficult decision at a time when the whole sector is struggling financially. We would also like to add our personal thanks to the Welsh Education Minister, local MPs & AMs, HEFCW and present and previous members of UCU, Unite and Unison for continuous lobbying on this issue.

Mahaboob Basha