MP Praises BCC For Its Stance On Living Wage And Offers Support At Westminster

An MP has heaped praise on the British Cleaning Council, saying that it has shown ‘great judgement’ by campaigning for the Living Wage.

Jim Fitzpatrick, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, was vice-chairman of the ‘Tidy Britain All Party Parliamentary Group’ during the last Parliament, with BCC Member, Keep Britain Tidy.

And he said he is speaking to colleagues from across the political spectrum about the possibility of another All Party Parliamentary Group.

The former Minister is one of the few Labour MP’s to have increased his majority at the recent General Election, and has campaigned for a living wage for cleaners in his own constituency.

He said: “The Living Wage Campaign started in the East End, and I got involved a number of years ago in the campaign for cleaners at Canary Wharf. I believe fair pay and dignity at work are things we should constantly be striving for”

Research by the BCC has found that paying the Living Wage can actually prove cost-effective in the cleaning industry by reducing staff ‘churn’ and absenteeism, and by increasing staff morale, which in turn leads to improvements in productivity.

After supporting the Living Wage campaign for a number of years, the BCC, itself, was accredited as a Living Wage employer earlier this year.

Jim Fitzpatrick will be the BCC’s special guest at this year’s Golden Service Awards, and will present the ‘Supervisor of the Year’ award at the event.