End Foul Pay at NUFC. Living wage campaigning in Newcastle

Message from Beth Farhat, Regional Secretary Northern TUC

&   Billy Coates, Regional Secretary of GMB Northern Region

The Northern TUC has policy supporting the GMB’s ‘End Foul Pay’ campaign to press football clubs to pay their staff a living wage.  In the last year a number of league clubs have agreed to this and all Premier League clubs will pay direct employees a living wage from 2016/17 season.

The End Foul Pay campaign wants Premier League clubs to start paying it this season and to use the transfer window to highlight the importance of paying low paid workers a wage they can at least live off. In the last season, Premier League revenues increased by 29% and their new TV deal is worth over £5bn.   In Newcastle United’s case, the club owner Mike Ashley is now the tenth richest person in the UK.  We believe it is unacceptable that football club workers are being paid below a living wage when there is so much wealth within the game.

On Saturday 8^th August the GMB Northern Region will be at the Monument in Newcastle from 12.30pm to 2pm encouraging people to sign a large yellow card, hand out leaflets and talk with members of the public about the importance of a living wage.   The large yellow card will then be taken to be shown outside St James’ Park for a photo opportunity to mark the start of the new season. A recent Early Day Motion in the House of Commons had MPs from 6 different political parties show support for the campaign.

The Northern TUC and the GMB Northern Region want to get as many people there as possible to show support, highlight the need for football clubs to do the right thing by their employees and to urge them to set an example in their communities. Regardless of which union you’re from or which football team you support (!) we’d be delighted if you can join us. You can sign the petition at www.endfoulpay.org.uk and follow the campaign on twitter at @endfoulpay.

You might also like to re-tweet the following UCU tweet