Campaigners setbackby living wage report

A REPORT by Swansea Univeristy students’ union trustees has resolved that a proposal to give every member of staff the living wage is “not currently affordable”.

The report looked into the finances of the students’ union and the likelihood that all members of staff could be paid the higher wage of £7.20 an hour instead of the current minimum wage.

The trustees recommended that the living wage not be implemented as the annual surplus of £15,275 would not be sufficient to cover the increase of £116,155 in wages.

Thomas Hoyles, the third year history and politics student who brought the motion that commissioned the response was left “disappointed” by the report.

He said: “We were dismayed by the overall tone of the report. 

“We are pleased the trustees will release the whole report, but we were hoping for more of a look into the future and the continued possibility of offering the living wage.

“It’s one step back but we’ll just have to push harder to get those steps forward.”

The trustees have promised to continue to review this matter in the future and examine how the Union can work towards such a wage for its part-time members of staff, most of which are current students.