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w No. 861 Friday 8th February 2019 varsity.co.uk
Cambridge’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1947
Frustrated Market Square vendors welcome proposed change
Cambridge colleges paid 996 workers less than the Real Living Wage Stephanie Stacey Deputy Editor Vivienne Hopley-Jones Editor Student campaigners have launched a new league table aiming to rank Cambridge colleges based on their treatment of their lowest paid employees. Calculated using figures obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, the table ranked Robinson College last, with 58.7% of non-academic or administrative staff at Robinson paid below £8.75 per hour. Data also revealed that two Cambridge colleges, Christ’s and Churchill, paid certain workers wages under £7 per hour, as of 15th August 2018. Both colleges claim they have since increased staff pay. This new table, coined the ‘Taylor’s Table’, is named after Professor Sedley Taylor, a former professor at Trinity College, who in 1907 offered £500 to Cambridge Borough Council to pay for a dental inspection for every child at a council-funded school.
Jess Ma Senior News Editor Diana Stoyanova Senior News Correspondent
According to the data revealed in the Taylor’s Table, as of 15th August 2018, 996 workers directly employed by Cambridge colleges were paid wages below the then-Real Living Wage of £8.75. Last February, the University committed to pay at least the Real Living Wage to all of its direct employees. However, this does not apply to the University’s 31 constituent colleges, which act as independent institutions. The Taylor’s Table forms part of a wider campaign to encourage all Cambridge Colleges to become officially accredited Living Wage employers. As of now, despite ongoing student campaigning, only Queens’ College is an officially accredited Living Wage employer. The Real Living Wage is independently calculated each year to meet the real cost of living. This figure currently stands at £9.00 outside of London, and £10.55 within London, but the Taylor’s Table was calculated using the value relevant to the period of data collection – last year’s real living wage – which stood at £8.75. This is higher than the National Full story Page 9 ▶
Cambridge residents and visitors will be able to comment on proposed new designs for the city’s Market Square during a two-month consultation period this summer and autumn. Cambridge City Council has commissioned urban design firm BDP to review the management and use of Market Square and propose a design for its renovation. The new plans are set to address present concerns surrounding hygiene and accessibility. With the goal of improving accessibility and cleanliness, the plan suggests that the Square’s cobblestones will be replaced with a “one level smooth pavement” to make the market easier to clean and more accessible to wheelchair users. The proposed plan also includes the installation moveable stalls to facilitate a regular plan for night markets and conversion of the market space for other events. Underground bins and cycle ▲ Christ’s was one of only two colleges found to pay below £7 (DANIEL GAYNE)
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Inside ● An interview with Hibo Wardere Pg.2-3 ● No improvement in rough sleeping numbers last year Pg.6