The Brunel Museum has been shortlisted for a Living Wage Champion Award in the Industry Trailblazer Category. The Living Wage Champion Awards celebrate individuals and organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the Living Wage movement.
The Brunel Museum has been an accredited Living Wage employer since June 2021. Living Wage Employers commit to paying the independently calculated real Living Wage rates to their directly employed and subcontracted staff. The London Living Wage is currently £11.95, representing nearly £3,000 a year extra for workers in London than they would receive earning the legal minimum.
The Museum has been an accredited Living Wage employer since June 2021. In September 2022, the Museum gave its most junior staff a pay rise, effective immediately, as soon as the 2022/3 real Living Wage rates were announced by the Living Wage Foundation.
“We’re really proud to be a Living Wage employer at the Brunel Museum – and so it’s great to be recgonised in the Industry Trailblazer category” Said Museum Director, Katherine McAlpine, “Depressed wages have long been an issue in the Museum and Heritage sector, which has led to a lack of diversity across the sector. Poorly paid roles can mean often only those with access to independent means or with supportive partners or families have been able to undertake the work available, shutting out those from less advantaged backgrounds. But if our sector is serious about diversifying our workforce to reflect the communities we serve, paying the Living Wage is the first step towards this. I hope that being shortlisted shows that if a small museum like ours can take these necessary steps, other organisations can too”.