Members of the House of Lords can claim £342 for each day they attend Parliament. A lord’s waiter would have to work more than 26 hours a day to earn the same amount of money.
by Tim Baker, political reporter
Tuesday 27 February 2024 16:57, United Kingdom
The House of Lords is calling on the House of Lords to increase the pay offered to wait-list staff after job advertisements were published showing wages below London’s current living wage.
The living wage will be calculated separately from the government-mandated minimum wage and will be set at £12 an hour in most parts of the UK and £13.15 an hour in London for the 2023-2024 period starting in October 2023. To pay the fee.
The current advertisement for waiting staff in the House of Lords is Houses of Parliament Westminster wages are £13.02 an hour.
The House of Lords said payments for the new fees will begin in April, with a deadline of May 1, 2024, for the new fees to come into effect.
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members of House of Peers can charge you £342 per day plus travel costs for each day you attend. This equates to more than 26 hours of pay offered to wait staff.
Labour’s Baroness Shami Chakrabarti said: ‘Parliament’s hospitality staff are some of the most patient and professional staff I have ever encountered.
“They work unpredictable hours and have to remain calm under considerable pressure.
“They should be paid more than the London living wage and never a penny less.”
Baroness Jenny Jones of Greenpeer said: ‘It seems a bit embarrassing for the House of Lords not to pay staff the London Living Wage.
“The difference between what they are offering and what they should be offering is so small that it must be a mistake. I hope they fix it.”
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The lowest paid worker in the House of Lords is entitled to a salary of £23,400 a year, according to the parliamentary website.
Some of the waitstaff’s responsibilities include preparing the function room for banquets, greeting peers and their guests, and handling catering when requested.
Applicants must have their public social media accounts checked and pass a security screening before being hired.
The job advertisement states that it is “essential” that applicants have experience at a “high profile” facility, ideally a four or five star facility.
Shifts are decided one week in advance and there is a six month trial period. The advertisement does not say whether there is a minimum number of shifts guaranteed.
The Living Wage and its London weighting are calculated by the Resolution Foundation, a think tank.
The scheme is overseen by the Living Wage Commission, which includes a range of academics, businesspeople, trade union representatives and staff from London and Salford councils.
More than 14,000 employers have signed up for the scheme, resulting in 460,000 wage increases, according to the Living Wage Foundation website.
The current minimum wage for over-18s is £7.49, rising to £10.18 for 20-year-olds and £10.42 for 23-year-olds.
In April, the fee will rise to £8.60 for 18-year-olds and £11.44 for over-21s.
In 2022-2023, the UK Living Wage was £10.90 and the London Living Wage was £11.95.
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Lord Benjamin Stoneham, Liberal Democrat, said: ‘I am appalled to hear that hard-working catering staff are not being paid a living wage.
“As families struggle to put food on the table, now is the time for Congress to lead by example and pay all food service staff a living wage.”
A House of Lords spokesperson said: “The Living Wage Foundation has said all employees in accredited organizations should be paid at least £13.15 an hour from 1 May.
“The House of Lords will implement pay from 1 April 2024 and will continue to pay at least the London Living Wage to all employees, including those in these positions, from this date.”