11 of the top 20 areas with high child poverty are in London due to housing costs
GMB London call for more council homes at real affordable rents and action on pay and benefits to end child poverty
Making work pay is part of the solution so new laws are needed to help lower paid workers to combine into trades unions and force employers to bargain with them for proper wages, says GMB London
GMB London commented on research from the End Child Poverty Coalition on child poverty. This shows that 11 of the 20 worst constituencies for child poverty are in London. The yardstick is the percentage of children living in a family with less than 60% of the median income once housing is taken into consideration. See below notes to editors for the link to the report and a copy of the story on PA.
Vaughan West, GMB London Region Political Officer, said:
“Building more council homes at real affordable rents, forcing public bodies to pay London Living Wage to outsourced workers, higher child benefits and Universal Credit for families are part of a viable solution.
So too is making work pay so new laws are needed to help lower paid workers to combine into trades unions and force employers to bargain with them for proper wages.
Employers can now sack workers who seek to exercise their fundamental human rights to join a union with almost total impunity. These rights are set out in all the International charters on human rights. Managers abusing such human rights of lower paid workers should face severe punishment including prison. They are guilty of aiding and abetting child poverty. "
End
Contact: Vaughan West, GMB London Region Political Officer 079 6734 2197
Notes to editors
Link to the report
