Man Utd and Man City must pay the living wage, says Ivan Lewis

Manchester Mayor hopeful Ivan Lewis has urged the city’s two Premier League football teams to pay the living wage to all matchday staff.

Lewis has asked both clubs to commit to becoming accredited Living Wage employers by the time they play the city derby on March 20.

Ivan said: “City and United are enormous assets to Greater Manchester and their fans are rightly proud of their footballing success at home and abroad. However, when you see the wage packets of top players compared to the cleaners, caterers and turnstile staff who all contribute to the match day experience, the inequality is stark.

“As a football fan, I am asking both clubs to lead by example and commit to using only Living Wage contractors by becoming Living Wage accredited employers.”

Up to 1,000 match day staff at each Manchester club, such as cleaners, caterers and turnstile operators, earn less than £8.25 an hour, the current living wage outside London. At the same time Wayne Rooney earns around £1,488-an-hour, about 180 times as much, according to Lewis’ calculations.

There are currently over six million people in the UK earning less than the living wage.

Lewis has teamed up with the Living Wage Foundation and pledged to make Manchester a living wage city:

“If elected Mayor I have already made it clear that I will work with businesses, Trade Unions and public services to fight inequality and ensure Greater Manchester leads the country in paying a proper living wage.”

The inflation-linked hourly rate, as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, is calculated annually according to the cost of living and applied to those aged over 18. 

Lewis is standing for selection to be the Labour candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, a role agreed in the city region’s devolution deal with George Osborne, in 2014.

He is up against Tony Lloyd, the current Police and Crime Commissioner, who has been acting as interim mayor until the election takes place.

Last month Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester council, ruled himself out of standing as Labour candidate.

Labour is still to announce its selection timetable for  the election in May 2017.