Wellington City councillors have voted to pay their low-paid security guards employed via contractors the Living Wage. The step towards becoming a Living Wage council was voted for 9-6 by councillors last month and was overwhelmingly supported when it went out for consultation in the 2014 Annual Plan process.
Sadly the Wellington Chamber of Commerce has announced it will take legal action to try and stop the council paying.
“The Chamber seems determined to do everything they can to keep these workers on poverty rates, ignore the overwhelming support of Wellingtonians for the Living Wage and to spend a lot of money on pointless litigation,” said Living Wage Wellington spokesperson Reverend Brian Dawson.
“Councillors should be applauded for wanting to provide the best services to the people of Wellington, and not just because it’s the right thing to do. There is plenty of international evidence showing that paying the Living Wage leads to more productive workers, higher morale and lower turnover.”
