Liberal Democrat Councillor Dave Wood thwarted Swindon Borough Council aspirations to work towards introducing a Living Wage over and above the legal minimum wage.
At February's Full Council meeting, Labour Cllr Mark Dempsey, put forward an amendment to the financial report to included a statement that the Council would aspire to introduce the Living Wage. On the night, the ruling Conservative group opposed this amendment but with a Labour / Lib Dem majority of one, this aspiration could have and should have been realised.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Dave Wood thwarted Swindon Borough Council aspirations to work towards introducing a Living Wage over and above the legal minimum wage.
At February's Full Council meeting, Labour Cllr Mark Dempsey, put forward an amendment to the financial report to included a statement that the Council would aspire to introduce the Living Wage. On the night, the ruling Conservative group opposed this amendment but with a Labour / Lib Dem majority of one, this aspiration could have and should have been realised.
Unfortunately Cllr Dave Wood, deputy leader of the Lib Dem group, chose to be absent for this vote, only returning to the chamber after the count had been taken. If he had been present and voted along with his group the amendment would have passed. In his absence the vote had tied at 27 for and 27 against. The Conservative Mayor had the casting vote and the amendment was lost.
Cllr Dave Wood's meeting attendance record prior to this was a woeful 50% since September 2012, a shameful record compounded by not being present for crucial votes when he is in attendance.
Many Councils and private companies have already adopted a policy of paying a Living Wage and have reaped the benefits with increased output, reduced sick leave, reduced staff turnover and a more contented, productive workplace.
Conversely, those employed on a minimum wage can be less motivated, distracted with the challenges of balancing family finances under ConDem austerity conditions and more likely to hold a second job to supplement the family income. This is known to have negative consequences to health, home life and general well-being with a detrimental outcome for the primary employer.
The Living Wage supporters believe that by fairly distributing money to the workforce as opposed to paying over inflated directors wages, bonuses and dividends, it is more likely that this extra money will feed into and boost the economy rather than drop out of circulation by being buried in tax havens and off shore accounts.
There should be no need for people in work to require financial support through working and family tax credits supplementing wages. It is a concern that areas of the private sector feed on the Government benefit system to bolster the low wages in order to maximise profits and dividend. A universally adopted Living Wage policy would reduce the national burden on benefits and have far reaching social advantages for us all.
Swindon Borough Council has missed an opportunity to lead by example but the Swindon Labour Group will continue to support the aspiration of a Living Wage. Ultimately the Living Wage is about an honest day's pay for an honest day's work – isn't that something worth fighting for?