Flo Carson

Flo Carson - Social Anthropologist, studying International Development at Sciences Po, Paris. I am slightly obsessed by gender, politics, media, human rights and global health. I've worked in Asia, Africa and Europe and keen to explore more of the world we live in. Take a look at my Twitter & Tumblr for my most recent posts. tly

Sunday 4 November 2012

London Living Wage

As a nation, we have become increasingly preoccupied with ensuring the ethical nature of our food, making sure produce is fair trade, that employees in factories in are working in a safe, and sufficiently paid environment and that our veg hasn't flown 5 times around the world before it even enters our stomachs.

However, when we take a look closer to home the extreme inequalities and unethical nature of our businesses and employment protocols are undeniable.

My friend recently made me aware of the work that London Citizens (a member of Citizens UK) do and since I've heard what they are doing, I couldn't help but want to be involved. Basically, the group campaign and work towards making sure that employees, especially people who work as cleaners and other lesser paid jobs, earn enough money to survive.

London Citizens ultimately want to ensure that people, who often come from poor communities or are immigrants are only obliged to work one job which pays enough for them to maintain a happy, balanced life alongside it.

Why should we expect cleaners to come into the Home Office to tidy up after the (literal) mess made by politicians, then hurry off to their second job, then collect their children from school or a family members. How can we expect individuals to join in with a community or support other people if they barely have enough time to live?

Rightfully, London Citizens are trying raise awareness among cleaners and other low wage workers so that they are aware of the rights they have to ASK FOR MORE. But not only this, they are in contact with plenty of Civil Servants who understand that this is an important issue that can easily be addressed.

Not only do London Citizens work towards this realistic political-economic goal, but they also embrace a more holistic approach in terms of ensuring that individuals can really get involved in their local community, through things like language swapping, lunches, and this Christmas there are some special festive things lined up.

I have only just got on board with the work that they are doing, so will update the blog when things change and I see them more in action. In the meantime, if you want to know more it's worth having a look at these articles.
Polly Toynbee for the Guardian
Channel 4

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