TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the value that UK trade unions now place on the living wage.Design/methodology/approach The author is the TUC’s Pay Policy Officer and examines the issue from a practitioner’s perspective.Findings The living wage now has a well-established place within the hierarchy of pay demands adopted by UK trade unions. This continues a tradition of unions supporting norms and regulations as an adjunct to collective bargaining. However, support had to be achieved through a process of negotiation with the broader UK living wage campaign.Practical implications The paper concludes that there are good prospects for the living wage, and thus for the continued trade union support.Social implications The living wage standard is seen as having a strong moral basis, which often helps to win agreement with good employers. This results in a steady stream of workers out of in-work poverty. The credit for such pay increases is often shared between employers and trade unions.Originality/value The paper is written by a practitioner with inside knowledge and experience of the entire course of the living wage campaign in the UK and how it has been adopted and integrated by trade unions.
VL  - 39
IS  - 6
SN  - 0142-5455
DO  - 10.1108/ER-04-2017-0095
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-04-2017-0095
AU  - Sellers Paul John
PY  - 2017
Y1  - 2017/01/01
TI  - The UK living wage: A trade union perspective
T2  - Employee Relations
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 790
EP  - 799
Y2  - 2024/04/24
ER  -