Manchester’s Premier League football clubs urged to tackle poverty and pay the real Living Wage

Manchester food banks have joined Greater Manchester Citizens and published an open letter on Saturday 7th November, campaigning for Manchester United and Manchester City to tackle poverty in their city.

The open letter is calling on both clubs' CEO's to become real Living Wage employers.

Only five Premier League clubs currently pay the real Living Wage - Everton, Liverpool , West Ham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

While both clubs have been publicly supportive of the vital Free School Meals campaign,  led by Marcus Rashford to tackle food poverty, neither are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation . This means many contract staff, including caterers and cleaners, are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table.

Conor McGurran, Greater Manchester Citizens Co-Chair, said: “Marcus Rashford MBE has united a city of reds and blues in support of his excellent campaigning against child poverty.

“Whilst both Manchester City and Manchester United undertake a great deal of valuable work within our communities, there is one simple step that both clubs could take to reduce child poverty within our city.

“It’s proven that the real Living Wage lifts families out of poverty - that’s why Greater Manchester Citizens is calling on our two successful and wealthy football clubs to become Living Wage accredited.”

The open letter published on Saturday 7th November calls on the clubs to commit to paying their staff the real Living Wage and join Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham and Crystal Palace who are already accredited employers.

The real Living Wage, which is independently calculated and reviewed annually, is currently £9.30 across the UK and £10.55 in London. It is set to rise on Monday 9th November when the new rates are announced to keep pace with the cost of living.

Want to get involved?

Sign our open letter now, calling for Manchester United and Man City to pay their staff a real Living Wage Follow us on Twitter and Instagram as we look back at the history of the Living Wage campaign this week Want to become a Living Wage accredited employer? Find out how you can change the lives your employees now