Last week, Stephen spoke at a reception in Parliament hosted by the London Living Wage Foundation.
The event brought together parliamentarians and employers to celebrate the achievements of the Living Wage campaign. It highlighted the 5 million people paid less than the real Living Wage or who struggle to find the hours they need to make ends meet.
At the event, representatives from leading Living Wage employers such as Aviva and Heathrow Airport discussed the benefits of accreditation.
Julie, a worker at Newcastle University, talked about the positive impact being paid a living wage had made on her life. Pupils from St Antony’s Catholic Primary School in Forest Gate movingly shared about the negative impact low wages had had on their parents, and performed their specially written living wage song.
Stephen said: ‘In East London, we have seen many successes with employers agreeing to pay the Living Wage, such as during the 2012 Olympics, and more recently, with the cleaners at London Stadium. I was pleased to support the Living Wage Foundation as it continues the vital work of tackling in-work poverty and unmanageable working hours’.
Since the start of its campaign, the Living Wage Foundation has put a milestone one billion pounds back into the pockets of working people, with 6000 employers now Living Wage accredited.