Stormont Executive Should Act Now To Set Real Living Wage Rates

People Before Profit call for the Stormont Executive to devolve minimum wage levels and establish real living wages

People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said, 
“New Decade New Approach agreed to a series of demands that would strengthen workers rights and challenge inequality. This included devolving the setting of minimum wage levels, ending the health service staffing crisis, banning zero hour contracts, banning discrimination based on age and for the Executive to become a Living Wage Employer. 
Unfortunately, none of these have been acted on by the Executive. 
Low-pay is a pivotal contributing factor to alarming deprivation statistics in Derry and the North West. Far too many workers are having to utilise food banks. The recently published Recommendations for an Anti-Poverty Strategy by the Expert Advisory Panel calls for action on wages rates to challenge escalating deprivation.
New Decade New Approach, agreed by all parties here, directs the Stormont Executive to devolve minimum wage levels. To date, the Executive has refused to act on this hard-won demand. As a devolved matter the Executive could set wage levels based on real living wages. 
This is a demand supported across all communities. Increasing wages would potentially improve the lot of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people. 
We believe this should be acted on urgently. We’re calling on the Derry and Strabane Council to back the demand for the Stormont Executive to make a priority of devolving minimum wage levels in order to establish real living wages.”
People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin’s motion to the June Derry and Strabane full Council meeting:
Devolve minimum wage level to establish real living wages
“Council notes low-pay is a pivotal contributing factor to alarming deprivation and inequality statistics in Derry and Strabane District and across the entire North West. Council agrees ending the blight of low-pay is an urgent action central to a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy. 
Council notes New Decade New Approach agreed “that powers to set minimum wage levels should be made a devolved matter”. Council further notes its disappointment that since NDNA was agreed by all parties and the Assembly restored, the Executive has thus far failed to take action on this hard-won demand. Council will write to the Minister for the Economy and the Stormont Executive for a full report on actions taken to devolve power to set minimum wage levels.  
Council calls on the Stormont Executive as a matter of urgency to empower itself, as already agreed, to set minimum wage levels. Council calls on the Stormont Executive to act within the mandate of this Assembly to set minimum wage levels based on real living wages.
Council will invite the Minister for the Economy to present on their plan, and that of the Stormont Executive, to devolve minimum wage levels in order to set real living wage levels.
Council gives its full solidarity to all efforts towards establishing real living wages.”