Premier League football clubs are being urged to meet with Citizens UK, local fan groups and the Living Wage Foundation to begin the process of becoming accredited Living Wage Employers.
The move comes after the organisation released a hard hitting report that reveals the stark comparison between the low wages of catering, cleaning and security staff at Britain’s top football clubs and the huge net worth of club owners, remuneration packages of top CEOs and the exuberant wages of top players.
Premier League football clubs are being urged to meet with Citizens UK, local fan groups and the Living Wage Foundation to begin the process of becoming accredited Living Wage Employers.
The move comes after the organisation released a hard hitting report that reveals the stark comparison between the low wages of catering, cleaning and security staff at Britain’s top football clubs and the huge net worth of club owners, remuneration packages of top CEOs and the exuberant wages of top players.
Citizens UK is urging senior directors, players and fans to make their clubs Living Wage Employers as a way of honouring all the cleaners, ticket collectors and many more who make every match day special.
In the report, Citizens UK estimates it would take a cleaner 13 years to earn what top footballers earn each week at Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City. The Premier League has the highest revenue of any football league in the world and the average salary for a Premier League CEO last year was £215,879. This is 43% higher than the average salary for a director of a similar sized company outside the Premier League.
500 organisations are now accredited Living Wage Employers but there is currently not a single football club.
The Citizens UK report includes a Living Wage Premier League table. Manchester City is topping the league as the club has already met with local fans and agreed to bring all its internally employed staff, interns and apprentices onto the Living Wage. Tottenham Hotspur is in second place because of their positive statements on the Living Wage and some attempts to engage with Citizens UK locally.