CUTTINGS

Pictured: M&IT and ABPCO have teamed up

for the Living Wage for Live Events campaign

Campaigners backing the living wage in the meetings industry say

there is no hiding place for venues after Chancellor George Osborne

announced plans to introduce a National Living Wage.

This week, M&IT magazine teamed up with the Association of British

Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) to launch the Living

Wage for Live Events campaign to persuade event buyers and policy

makers to encourage venue and hospitality providers to pay the living

wage - calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy as £9.15

per hour in London and £7.85 in the rest of the UK. Currently, up to 90

per cent of workers in the hospitality sector live below that rate.

In this week’s Budget, Osborne announced plans to introduce the

national living wage for all workers over the age of 25, pegged at

£7.20 per hour from April 2016 and set to reach £9 by 2020.

Sundial Group’s Barnett Hill became the first conference hotel to

become living wage accredited earlier this year, and MD Tim Chudley

has been at the forefront of the movement to raise awareness and

encourage take up within the events industry.

He said: “It’s fantastic news. Not every sector will be affected by it, but

people working in the hospitality sector will become less

disadvantaged.

“Some people are put off working in the sector because the pay is so

poor, this should help improve standards and professionalise the

industry.

“People will have to address the whole issue of poor pay. Those who

have led the movement can see a goal, they can say they have

contributed in some small way.

“What we are talking about here is using the minimum wage to achieve

a living wage. People cannot hide from it, this is going to happen.”

Rhys Moore, director of the Living Wage Foundation questioned

whether the announcement went far enough.

He said: “Is this really a Living Wage? The Living Wage is calculated

according to the cost of living whereas the Low Pay Commission

calculates a rate according to what the market can bear. Without a

change of remit for the Low Pay Commission this is effectively a higher

National Minimum Wage and not a Living Wage.

“Secondly, what about London? We have been working with the Mayor

of London for seven years and there’s a London Living Wage rate that

recognises the higher costs in the capital, currently £9.15 per hour.

These changes will not help the 586,000 people for whom even the

2020 rate announced today would not be enough to live on now.

“Thirdly, what about the 2 million under-25s who are not covered by

this announcement? To make sure workers in London and those under

25 do not lose out, we call on employers to join the group of 1,600

organisations that have already chosen to be voluntary Living Wage

employers.

“And, lastly, do the tax credit changes announced today mean that the

Living Wage needs to be higher to make sure people have enough?

“The Living Wage Foundation, members of Citizens UK and the 1,600

accredited Living Wage employers look forward to an early meeting

with the Chancellor to address these questions and help the millions of

workers who deserve a pay rise.”

Caroline Windsor and Nicole Leida, joint-chairs of ABPCO, added: “We

need to make sure there is complete fairness among employers about

how people are paid, ensuring they are actually paid the living wage

rather than topping up from other sources. We need to make sure

hospitality is not left behind on this.”

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Living Wage for Live Events

campaign: no hiding place

George Osborne’s new ‘national living wage’ of £9 per hour

by 2020 is welcomed but doubts persist

13/07/2015

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Home News Agency Leading Universities team up with ABPCO for industry research

Category: Agency & Association Created on Monday, 27 July 2015 11:15

Leading Universities will work together with The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) on research intent on aiding managers

within the association sector.

Senior academics from nine universities met at the Barbican to map a research agenda with the intention of helping to boost the competitiveness of managers

working in the industry.

This follows ABPCO’s strategic decision to create a new membership category specifically to connect academic research, researchers and professional practice.

“Universities are often seen by practitioners only in relation to issues associated with the flow of students to the industry,” comments Rhodri Thomas, Professor of Tourism &

Events Policy at Leeds Beckett University. “That’s important but universities can offer more. A significant volume of research is produced by academics that, if presented

appropriately, might prompt practitioners to re-think some of their practices or help them answer some of the questions that challenge them from time-to-time”.

ABPCO’s Caroline Windsor introduced the event by stating that gaining access to research produced in universities was one of ABPCO’s five priorities and the links between

ABPCO and leading Universities has never been stronger.

“We recently undertook a poll of our members and this issue came out top,” said Caroline. “There is a thirst for more knowledge and we hope that this collaboration will help

create a flow of useful research to help quench it”.

A finalised subject for the research will now be decided upon based on the needs and wants of the industry following this initial meeting.

Universities taking part in the research include:

· Leeds Beckett University

· University of Surrey

· University of Greenwich

· Bournemouth University

· University of Derby

· University of Sunderland

· London Metropolitan University

· Northumbria University

· Liverpool John Moores University

ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference

and meetings industry.

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