Casual staff, and especially student staff, have always been a core part of the Union's services. Without them, simply put, we would not be able to deliver those things that students want. We are aware that in recent years, we should have done more to recognise and reward this, and we are grateful to those casual staff members who have raised their concerns with us. Though pay isn't everything, it is obviously key, and both Abhijay and I campaigned for our officer roles on the promise of introducing the London Living Wage for our casual staff members.
We are pleased to announce that following a review of our pay structure, an increase to all Union casual staff pay rates has been approved by our Board of Trustees. This brings casual staff pay in the Union in line with bands set by the College, slightly higher than the London Living Wage, effective August 1st 2021. In the longer-term, our ambition is to incorporate the College's (usually annual) cost of living increases to casual staff pay, so that wages grow with inflation.
While we had already agreed to fund this regardless, the increase to our funding offered by the College in the light of our new strategic plan has helped make this much more straightforward. It is a major manifesto commitment for us, and one which we hope demonstrates the Union's renewed commitment to fairly reward the students we employ.
If you're interested in joining us, you can find out more about casual staff roles on this page, which is updated regularly.