Sunderland is the first city in the North East to be recognised as a living wage city

Sunderland is the first city in the North East to be recognised for making a Living Wage City, by the Living Wage Foundation which campaigns for workers to be paid a real Living Wage.

Plans being announced by the City Council this Wednesday, in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and major city employers, could see the number of workers in Sunderland earning the real Living Wage triple over the next three years.

18 employers, headquartered in the city have already voluntarily committed to making sure that all their staff and subcontracted staff receive a real Living Wage of £10.90 an hour, significantly higher than the government minimum of £9.50.

As part of the Living Wage Foundation’s Making Living Wage Places scheme, more local businesses and employers in the city will be encouraged to pay employees the real Living Wage and become accredited as Living Wage Employers.

Wednesday’s event at City Hall will also see partners signing up to an action plan setting out how they intend to triple the number of workers covered by Living Wage accreditation in Sunderland over the next three years. This will result in 19,702 more workers in Sunderland receiving the real Living Wage by 2025.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to take a stand by ensuring their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives which is all the more important in the current cost of living crisis.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, Monalisa Saha from the Living Wage Foundation, Andrea Walters from the University of Sunderland and Claire Rodgerson from Tyne and Wear Citizens will be available for filming, photos and interviews.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily