Prospect calls on National Trust to pay living wage
Heritage body urged to make commitment ahead of AGM
The union for staff employed by the National Trust has called on the organisation to pay the living wage to all of its workers.
Prospect, which represents the trust’s employees, claims that low pay within the organisation has left many workers “struggling below the poverty line”.
The living wage, which is calculated as the amount an individual needs to earn to cover the basic costs of living, increased by 20p per hour this week, bringing it to £7.85 per hour (£9.15 per hour in London).
The union called on the trust’s board of trustees to take a stand on the issue ahead of its AGM on 8 November.
John Stevenson, Prospect’s negotiations officer, said: “The living standards of employees have plummeted in real terms despite the good financial performance of the organisation.
“These are the guardians of our national heritage, yet they are left to struggle on with wages from a bygone era. Aside from the fact it is morally right, if we learn anything from history, it should be that getting money into people’s pockets is essential to securing a strong economic recovery.”
The National Trust, which has a workforce of 12,000, said 83% of its regular employees are already paid the living wage.
In a statement, it said: “As a charity, we value all our staff and each year we ask them how they feel about working for the National Trust across a wide range of topics including pay, and 94% tell us they are satisfied with their working conditions.
"But we recognise we can always do more, and we will continue to work closely with our employees to look at how we could improve further."
Prospect, which represents the trust’s employees, claims that low pay within the organisation has left many workers “struggling below the poverty line”.
The living wage, which is calculated as the amount an individual needs to earn to cover the basic costs of living, increased by 20p per hour this week, bringing it to £7.85 per hour (£9.15 per hour in London).
The union called on the trust’s board of trustees to take a stand on the issue ahead of its AGM on 8 November.
John Stevenson, Prospect’s negotiations officer, said: “The living standards of employees have plummeted in real terms despite the good financial performance of the organisation.
“These are the guardians of our national heritage, yet they are left to struggle on with wages from a bygone era. Aside from the fact it is morally right, if we learn anything from history, it should be that getting money into people’s pockets is essential to securing a strong economic recovery.”
The National Trust, which has a workforce of 12,000, said 83% of its regular employees are already paid the living wage.
In a statement, it said: “As a charity, we value all our staff and each year we ask them how they feel about working for the National Trust across a wide range of topics including pay, and 94% tell us they are satisfied with their working conditions.
"But we recognise we can always do more, and we will continue to work closely with our employees to look at how we could improve further."