The Queen and the Royal estate have come under attack from campaigners
after advertising for cleaners at Windsor Castle 78p below the recommended
livable wage. This week is Living Wage Week and comes just weeks after Labour
leader Ed Miliband set out his party's agenda for ensuring employers pay a wage
that meets the cost of living.
Bad example: Buckingham Palace has said it is now reviewing its policies on wages following criticism from campaigners over a part-time role advertised below the recommended living wage
Campaigners want to see employees paid at least £7.45 per hour outside
of London and £8.55 in the capital. However, an advert recently published on
the Buckingham Palace website is offering £6.67 per hour. The role is paid just
47p above the national minimum wage - a salary equivalent to £13,000 per year.
It has been reported that no accommodation is provided with the job, which
includes vacuuming, mopping, dusting and general household maintenance.
The role requires a 30 hour week between the hours of 8am and 1pm daily.
Graham Morris MP, a Labour campaigner
for the Living Wage said this advert is setting a bad example. 'This looks
really bad.' he told the Daily Mirror. 'Since the Queen receives considerable
support from the public purse she should pay a living wage, not just barely a
minimum wage. She's setting a bad example to other employers. Windsor is one of
the 12 most affluent boroughs in the country, so you would anticipate the cost
of living would be much higher. I would hate to see a return to the Victorian
days where a privileged elite preside over the unwashed masses and just pay the
bare minimum.’
The advert for a cleaner at Windsor Castle was offering just £6.67 per hour
A spokesperson for PSC Union told Mail Online: 'It's shocking that in
this day and age these sorts of jobs are still not taken seriously and still
receive this kind of wage. This particular example really points up the stark
and glaring inequality in the whole system. You have people on very low wages
cleaning the houses of one of the richest families in the country, and these
house bring millions of people to Britain every year. It's a situation that
really needs to be dealt with and it should be obvious in this day and age.'
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the charge that
the Queen is setting a bad example to other employers. 'We are reviewing our
policies in regard to the living wage,' the spokesman said. The spokesman also
denied the claim that this particular job came with no accommodation. He added:
'All cleaning jobs come as an employment package which includes housing being
provided.'
Source: Daily Mail UK
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