A record, four in five (80 per cent) workers in night time industries now receive at least the London Living Wage according to new data released today, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,
has today called on Government to do more to help those working at night.
Virtually all aspects of London’s £520 billion economy are active around the clock and a quarter of London’s workforce (1.3 million people) regularly work between 6pm and 6am. However, night workers can need more support compared to daytime workers.
Research from The Liminal Space shows that those who work at night are 37 per cent more likely to have a heart attack, 44 per cent more likely to have diabetes and six times more likely to get divorced than those who work during the day.
The Mayor is calling on Government to step forward and recognise the distinct needs of night workers and commission further research into how the impact of working at night can be reduced.
The number of workers in night time industries receiving at least the London Living Wage has risen to a record 80 per cent, up from 72 percent in 2017. However more than a third (39%) of night time cultural and leisure workers – including hospitality, private security, arts and entertainment- are still paid below the London Living Wage.
The capital’s hospitality industry is already struggling to fill vacancies and the Mayor and Night Czar have warned that the Home Secretary’s plans to raise the minimum salary needed for skilled overseas workers from £26,200 to £38,700 will cause significant long-term damage.
Last night the Mayor visited Vauxhall in the London Borough of Lambeth to see the work going on to support night time workers and boost life at night as part of his Night Time Enterprise Zones. This included seeing a health and wellbeing session for night workers at Fire nightclub run by The Liminal Space.
The Mayor announced Vauxhall, Bromley and Greenwich as his Night Time Enterprise Zones earlier this year to boost footfall in the area after 6pm by extending opening hours, improving access to shops and services, making the high street a more welcoming and inclusive place and improving standards for night workers. Since its launch, Vauxhall has seen visitor numbers increase by 28 per cent for its #VauxhAllNight events, with its programme building on the area’s rich heritage of LGBTQI+ nightlife and hospitality businesses run by the Portuguese-speaking community of Little Portugal.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is a 24-hour city with more than 1.3m Londoners working through the night to keep our city operating, from the NHS and social care to transport and hospitality workers. I’m pleased that four in five night workers are now receiving at least the London Living Wage, but it’s shocking that they face so many inequalities compared to those working through the day. I’m committed to doing all I can to help make London a fairer city for all and am proud that my Night Time Enterprise Zones are supporting innovative work to help, while also providing a much-needed boost to our high streets. However, we need the Government to recognise the distinct needs of night workers and step forward to provide more support and research into how we can help those working to keep our city going at night.”
Amy Lamé, London’s Night Czar, said: “I’m proud our game-changing Night Time Enterprise Zones provide a boost to businesses, communities and the wellbeing of night workers. In partnership with boroughs we are pioneering better ways of living, working and doing business after dark.
“Vauxhall is already a diverse and vibrant hub for food, culture and night life, so to see the #VauxhAllNight programme bringing people and businesses together at night is great for all Londoners. We need Ministers to support and acknowledge the value the 1.3m night workers who keep our city working around the clock. bring to our economy.”
Sarah Douglas, Founder of Night Club and Director at The Liminal Space, said: "Night workers are the hidden army that keep our 24/7 society running. At Night Club we are passionate about improving night workers' quality of sleep, and with it their health, wellbeing and productivity. We are working with employers nationwide and have trained over 1,000 staff in London so far. We stand alongside the Mayor in imploring Government and employers to focus on night workers' wellbeing."
Cllr Claire Holland, the Leader of Lambeth Council, said: “This is an important project for Vauxhall which has one of London’s most dynamic LGBTQIA+ communities, as well as being a diverse neighbourhood with significant Portuguese speaking and Black African populations. It’s proving to be a great opportunity to boost evening trade, work with employers to tackle poverty pay by encouraging the take-up of the London Living Wage, and celebrate the diversity that makes Vauxhall so unique and celebrated.” Photo by Chabad Lubavitch, Wikimedia commons.