How can we persuade firms to improve employees’ lives? Here’s what I’ve learned during a decade in workers’ rights…

Rachel Wilshaw Living wage, Private sector, Rights

Oxfam’s workers’ rights expert Rachel Wilshaw shares six insights from her experiences of working with companies to drive progress on decent wages and conditions.

Paying the living wage isn’t just good for the world – it’s also good for business. Here’s how to do it…

Monica Romis Living wage, Private sector, Women's Economic Empowerment

Everyone benefits from decent wages. Monica Romis of the Oxfam Business Advisory Service sets out five steps firms can take to pay them – and get on the right side of the battle against global poverty

A race to the top: how we pushed supermarkets to take human rights seriously

Radhika Sarin Influencing, Living wage, Private sector

From new gender policies to commitments on living wages, we’ve come a long way since Oxfam published its first supermarkets scorecard in 2018, when retailers lacked the understanding and appetite to do human rights due diligence, says Radhika Sarin. What does the 2022 scorecard reveal – and what more must be done?

Oxfam and Burberry: Moving ‘beyond audit’ to impact

Rachel Wilshaw General, Influencing, Living wage, Private sector

Engaging with Burberry as a ‘critical friend’ has helped Oxfam to understand barriers and opportunities for better workers’ rights. Rachel Wilshaw describes how collaboration has enabled us to innovate and test solutions together. I first visited Burberry just over five years ago. The glamour pouring from the elegant building, and the giant screen showing the latest catwalk collection, were somewhat daunting. …

Making ‘people are our greatest asset’ ring true

Rachel Wilshaw General, Private sector

The Workforce Disclosure Initiative will shine a spotlight on how companies treat the people working in their supply chains. Rachel Wilshaw, Ethical Trade Manager, explains how and why Oxfam is involved. ‘Disclosure’ is a hot topic at present, with the BBC dealing with the fall-out from disclosing the gender pay-gap amongst top presenters, the prime minister of Pakistan resigning following …

Employment charters: a potential tool to challenge inequality?

Emily Ball Inequality

Emily Ball and Ceri Hughes explain employment charters; what they can achieve, their limits and Oxfam GB’s hopes for an employment charter for Greater Manchester. More than half (7.4 million) of the people in poverty in the UK are in working families. Concerted action is required if we are to take on this long-term trend but one way to begin …

The gap widens between the UKs national living wage and the real living wage

Amy Hill Inequality, Living wage

It is ever more clear that employment is not an automatic route out of poverty in the UK. In this blog, Amy Hill outlines the difference between the national living wage and the real living wage and explains how Oxfam GB is committed to ‘decent’ work for a decent standard of living.  igher minimum rates of pay were recently announced …

Understanding the position of women in the UK labour market

Graham Whitham Inequality, Living wage

Graham Whitham, Senior Policy Advisor on UK Poverty and Inequality, introduces to some of the key findings of the recent report, Women, work and wages and the UK. he labour market position of women in the UK has been generally improving, with higher employment rates and increases in earnings. However, on these measures, women still fare worse in the job …

Decent work for low paid workers: a job to be done

Francis Stuart Inequality, Living wage

As ‘Decent work for all’ is one of the SDGs, understanding what decent work means in context is important. Here, Francis Stuart talks about the new publication ‘Decent work for Scotland’s low paid workers: a job to be done’, what people say and how perception of decent work differs from Scotland today.  he promotion of ‘decent work for all’ is …