Many organisations have expressed support for a living wage. But what should a living wage be, and who should get to decide this ? Understandably, there are many different views on this. But this doesn’t have to mean that we can’t all work together for a common goal. So how can the campaign remain unified ?

I think Jon Cruddas had it right during the Labour deputy leadership campaign when he said not just that he supported a living wage to end poverty pay, but also that he supported living wage campaigns. If you’re drawing up a motion to a trade union or other organisation, make sure that you call on them to work with and support any active LW campaigns, and to support their demands. These demands will include working conditions such as holiday entitlements, trade union recognition, parity between contract workers and public sector workers doing the same job. They will also include a living wage that has been researched, is authoritative, and is based on a formula which has been agreed on by the campaign. There will always be valid arguments why the figure should be higher. But the most important thing is to have one figure around which the whole movement can unite, and which will be an effective basis for campaigns and pay negotiations. The greater the unity that there is around this, the greater the credibility that the living wage will have, and the stronger the basis for campaigning.

Unity doesn’t mean surrendering your principles. The LW campaign is a broad church, and a local campaign may involve groups with quite different agendas. The character of the local campaign is likely to reflect the politics and the agendas of the people and groups involved. They may well have debates from time to time over tactical turns. Decisions will be made which some may find disappointing. None of this is (or should be) a recipe for division – these are characteristics of a healthy democratic network which is happy to work together toward its agreed objectives.

This unity can be deepened and strengthened by LW campaigners maintaining strong links with other campaigns that share similar values and goals such as CAP’s Living Ghosts Campaign; national industrial action by the PCS and the CWU; and the Unite demonstration outside the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth on September 23rd.