Anas Sarwar accused of living wage hypocrisy over family firm's low pay

Mr Sarwar said in 2017 that his family firm would transition to a “real living wage” for all employees.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaking  during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaking  during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar speaking during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

Anas Sarwar has been accused of “hypocrisy” after it emerged his family’s wholesale business continues to not pay staff the real living wage.

The Scottish Labour leader relinquished all of his shares in United Wholesale (Scotland) after criticism of its wage policies in 2017 ahead of the leadership contest ultimately won by Richard Leonard.

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However, his wife, mother, and children (via a trust) all continue to benefit from the profits of the company which is listed as one of the biggest in Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives said the continued failure of the business to pay the real living wage was an embarrassment for Mr Sarwar who has consistently highlighted his own party’s plans to ensure businesses pay the real living wage.

The criticism comes after Mr Sarwar had told the BBC’s Sunday Show that part of Labour’s offering at the next general election would be a commitment to a “real living wage” across the country.

He said: “As part of a new deal for working people that includes ending the scandal of fire and re-hire, giving employment rights from day one and lifting the minimum wage so that people have a real living wage across the country.”

However one role recently advertised by the company requires a worker to work a minimum of 45 hours per week between Monday and Saturday as a forklift operator.

This permanent, full-time position, pays £10.58 per hour, below the Scottish Living Wage which is estimated by Living Wage Scotland to be £10.90 and just 16p per hour above the minimum wage.

Scottish Conservative MSP, Annie Wells, accused the Scottish Labour leader of hypocrisy and labelled the situation “deeply embarrassing”.

“It’s time that Anas Sarwar practised what he preaches,” she said.

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“The Scottish Labour leader made a point of reiterating his party’s commitment to delivering a real living wage for Scots workers in a BBC interview – yet his own family business is advertising for staff on a lower rate of pay.

“There’s a word for that: hypocrisy. It is deeply embarrassing for Anas Sarwar that he and his family are personally benefitting from the very behaviour he is vowing to stamp out.

“The Scottish Labour leader’s pledge to low-paid workers will lack any credibility unless and until United Wholesale Scotland pay the living wage to all their staff.”

Mr Sarwar is not personally involved in the day-to-day running of his family’s business, but his wife and his three children both benefit from holding shares in the company.

Shares in trust for his children were previously held by the Scottish Labour leader, with his family’s part of the business worth around £6.6m.

His mother, Perveen Sarwar, who has donated £40,000 to her son’s political campaigning, also owns thousands of shares in the company.

It is also understood pay deals at the company are set as part of an agreement with Usdaw.

In 2017, Mr Sarwar defended his family’s business for not paying the real living wage on the grounds that it was “voluntary”.

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He told BBC Scotland after moving his shares into a trust for his children that he had received assurances from the company that it "wants to transition to a real living wage for all employees".

Scottish Labour were contacted for comment.

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