65 religious leaders from the Anglican, Catholic and Methodist Churches have published a letter in the Sunday Times backing the real Living Wage. Read the news article here.
The letter reads:
"The harm caused by poverty in our country should be a source of national shame. There are now millions of people who work every day but are unable to afford even the basics. This is damaging family life, and robbing future generations of a secure and stable home.
"Our different faiths provide a common teaching, that we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice, and that everyone deserves a chance to live in dignity and security. This is also true of our businesses. The jobs they provide allow many to derive purpose and meaning in their daily lives, but too many are paying their workers too little and leaving them struggling to stay afloat. This hurts everyone.
"One solution is the Living Wage, which will rise tomorrow to meet the real cost of Living. Good businesses can do the right thing and tomorrow we join in celebration with the 4700 real Living Wage employers who pay staff a wage they can live on."
From November 4-11, New Zealand celebrates ‘living wage week’. One result has been a wave of new accredited employers from across New Zealand- Read about it on scoop.
The Anglican Church has been closely involved in the living wage campaign since the wage was first calculated in 2013 by the church's Family Centre social policy research unit in Lower Hutt. However it’s the decision of each independent entity whether to sign up. Take a look at this list published by Scoop in 2018 of the current Accredited Living Wage Employers 2018.
