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15 July 2019

Celebrating one year as a Living Wage Employer

Celebrating our ongoing commitment to pay staff enough to meet the real cost of living in London

London skyline with view of Tower Bridge

It has been one year since King’s was formally accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer. This means that we pay all directly employed staff and on-site service contractors a wage based on actual living costs for London, rather than the government-determined National Living Wage.

The real living wage enables employees to earn a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work – enough to live and not just survive. By accrediting as a Living Wage Employer, King’s is showing leadership, acting out its commitment to Service and making a real difference to the lives of its staff.

James Blatchey-Asfa, Lead Organiser, South London Citizens

The real Living Wage rates are independently calculated each year by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence about living costs in London and the UK. The London Living Wage is currently £10.55, compared with £9.00 across the rest of the UK.

King’s first committed to pay staff the London Living Wage in March 2014 as we believe that everyone should be paid enough to have a decent standard of living, without fear of poverty or destitution.

Becoming Living Wage Accredited was a really important moment for the King’s community. Staff are genuinely proud of the university’s decision. The accreditation demonstrates that we are committed to making the world a better place. My favourite moment last year was shaking the hand of a long-standing colleague who will benefit from the security of a Living Wage.

Anne-Marie Canning MBE, Director of Social Mobility and Student Success

Being a Living Wage Employer reflects our commitment to Service – one of King’s five strategic priorities – as it is vital to preventing in-work poverty and reducing economic inequality.

Find out more about the Living Wage Foundation.

Delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals

King's College London has a long and proud history of serving the needs and aspirations of society. We are committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a university, and we use them as a framework for reporting on our social impact. The SDGs are a set of 17 goals approved by the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) which aim to transform the world by 2030. This work supports SDGs 1 and 8.