Wednesday 22-07-2020 - 12:17

Update from Jess Dunning, Opportunities Officer

This week we celebrate our two-year anniversary of being an accredited Real Living Wage Employer! 

My predecessor Charlie Walker first secured the Real Living Wage for all our staff (including student staff) and it’s fantastic to see how staff have responded to us paying £9.30+ per hour! We at Durham SU believe that paying the Real Living Wage is the right thing to do, because it takes into account more than just the baseline someone needs to live and gives people more flexibility in their finances and working hours. It also does not have an age limit like minimum wage, meaning whether you are 17 or 73 you will be paid the same for doing the same job. 

Earlier this year, our wonderful student staff told us what being paid the Real Living Wage means to them: 

"Earning the Real Living Wage allows me to work fewer hours while still earning my rent money, meaning I can dedicate more of my time to my studies and overall wellbeing while not struggling to make ends meet elsewhere." – Abigail, 3rd year psychology

"Earning the Real Living Wage allows me to maintain a manageable work/life balance at university" – Julia, 2nd Year Psychology

"Earning the Real Living Wage helps me to fully enjoy my university experience without the added stress of having to pay for everything" – Hazel, 3rd year Geography

"Earning the Real Living Wage gives me the freedom and space from studies while also earning valuable skills and experiences that I can apply in future jobs" – Lily, 4th year English

"Earning the Real Living Wage should be the absolute bare minimum pay people receive for their work.” – Alex, 4th year Physics

Back in November, I started a campaign educating students and staff about the Real Living Wage. You can read more about it here.

We also developed a calculator which helps you see the difference being paid the Real Living Wage can make to your life! Have a go here!

When students were asked if everyone should be paid the Real Living Wage the answer was Yes (86% of people that replied to the poll). Moving forwarded we are still lobbying the university to become a Real Living Wage employer and I will still be working with Tyne and Wear Citizens to make this happen.