LIVING WAGE MOVEMENT
One of ALWU's current campaigns is to encourage all legal employers to join the Living Wage movement, and get Living Wage accredited.
Read on to find out more about:
The Living Wage
The Living Wage is currently $22.10 per hour. It will increase to $22.75 per hour on 1 September 2021.
This is the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life, and so allow everyone to live with dignity and participate as active citizens in society.
For more information on how the Living Wage is calculated, visit the Living Wage website.
The movement
The Living Wage movement seeks for employers to agree to pay all their staff the Living Wage.
Employers who meet the relevant criteria can apply to be accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Current Living Wage Employers include Wellington and Dunedin City Councils, Parliamentary Service, numerous small business, and the banking sector.
Here is a full list of Living Wage Employers in Aotearoa.
ALWU's policy
ALWU calls on all legal employers to pay their staff the Living Wage, and become Living Wage accredited. This means committing to paying not only all junior lawyers the Living Wage for all hours worked, but also all other staff and contractors, such as cleaners and caterers. Legal employers must show leadership by taking care of their workforce and setting an example for employers in their region and the nation as a whole.
A law firm that pays its junior lawyers, cleaning staff and support staff the Living Wage is contributing to ensuring the legal profession as a whole is more inclusive and protective of its vulnerable members. That is a profession that we can all be proud of.
You can read ALWU's full open letter to the legal profession here.
Living Wage legal employers
The only New Zealand law firms who are Living Wage Employers are currently:
If your firm isn't here, ask your employer why they're not a Living Wage Employer.