WageIndicator Foundation’s “Living Wages in Context” wins third place in Living Wage Innovation Challenge at the Innovating Justice Forum of 2014!
WageIndicator Foundation’s “Living Wages in Context” wins the Living Wage Innovation Challenge - third place, set by the C&A Foundation and HiiL. The Award was conferred at the end of a two-day Innovating Justice Forum at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, which took place on the 25th and 26th of November, 2014. The Award and the Forum are meant to find, support, bring together, and improve Innovating Justice concepts all over the world and disseminate them further, in which HiiL’s network is instrumental in the promotion.
The third position of this year’s Living Wage Innovation Challenge went to WageIndicator’s “Living Wages in Context”, which aims to achieve one global approach for measuring Living Wages worldwide. This is both desirable and achievable. WageIndicator developed and already applies a fact-based Living Wage tool that facilitates more realistic negotiations on wages everywhere, i.e. in countries, within countries and throughout global supply chains. The tool is already fully deployed in 50 of the 80 countries in which WageIndicator currently operates and could be extended shortly to encompass all 80 and more. One system that suits all means that supply chains crossing borders – which they normally do - can be tracked and traced all the way. Thereby lack of transparency may be located and addressed on the spot where it is found to be problematic.
Next to having Living Wages in the supply chain context, the tool allows users to disseminate and compare the Living Wages in the context of national income ranges, i.e. from the national poverty line and/or the World Bank poverty line, to the statutory minimum wage and the wage levels for low and high skilled labour. Living Wages presented in these contexts give workers and employers more insight in the labour market and the performance of the supply chains they are working in.
The calculations needed to arrive at the actual Living Wages are a WageIndicator development. Living Wage calculations are based on WageIndicator’s online and offline data collections and its data handling system. The data used make up the cost of living, specific to a country, region or time-frame. Outcomes vary with national food preferences, basic calorie intake needs, housing cost, transportation, medical insurance and family life. As these calculations are updated each month, they reflect current price levels. They therefore also take unforeseen matters into account, such as outbreak of war, weather changes with dramatic impact and degree of urbanization. Moreover international standards are used for calculations and comparisons, making the results acceptable and applicable worldwide.
Paulien Osse, Director of the WageIndicator Foundation: "We are very happy to win the Award. We see it as recognition of the need for setting international standards. Living Wages must be meaningful for lots of working people in lots of countries, and not just be limited to a handful of supply chains. Each person, each region deserves insight in their wages in the context that matters. Therefore we do regular updates of the Living Wages that count where they work, live and have to do their shopping.”
Receiving an Award in the Living Wage Innovation Challenge means that the WageIndicator can further develop the process of mapping all Living Wages in their Context, globally.
About WageIndicator Foundation
The WageIndicator Foundation was established in 2001 to contribute to a more transparent labour market for workers and employers. The Foundation collects, compares and shares labour market information through online and offline surveys and desk research. It serves as an online library for wage information, labour law and career advice.
The WageIndicator Foundation is assisted by world-renowned universities, trade unions and employers’ organisations and currently operates in over 80 countries. Its international staff consists of some 100 specialists worldwide. The WageIndicator Foundation is a global organization reaching millions on a monthly basis.
For more information please visit: WageIndicator.org.