Magic Me is pleased to announce that it has been accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer.
Our Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Magic Me receive a minimum hourly wage of £10.55 in London. This is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £8.21 per hour. Magic Me has always campaigned against ageism (which operates on both young and old) and is pleased that unlike the government minimum where those under 25 are penalised and paid much less (£6.15 if you are aged 18-20) the Living Wage pays the same minimum across the board.
Magic Me has been based in Tower Hamlets in London for 30 years, poverty and the effects of austerity are all around us but so is extreme wealth and the shining towers of one of the world’s most profitable cities. Despite this nearly a fifth of all jobs (19%) in London pay less than the real Living Wage – around 749,000 jobs. Magic Me is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce and to the values of fairness and justice. Working in the cultural sector is often seen as blessing enough but we believe that to achieve real diversity in the creative workforce we have to start with everyone being able to afford to work in the arts – the living wage is a step in that direction.
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 160,000 people and put over £800m extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Susan Langford, Director of Magic Me said:
“Throughout my time as Director of Magic Me I have always been keen to ensure that everyone gets paid fairly – whether they are full-time staff, project workers or artists. I am very proud that we are now accredited as a Living Wage Employer and see this as an important step in our commitment to creating a more diverse staff team.”
Tess Lanning, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
“We’re delighted that Magic Me has joined the movement of over 4,700 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as IKEA, Heathrow Airport, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Magic Me, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”