City law firms are among businesses urged to ‘stop thinking and start doing’ on the first day of a campaign to ensure staff - including those not on the direct payroll - are paid the London living wage.

The City of London Corporation and the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) are running a two-week poster campaign to encourage firms to pay at least £10.55 per hour. The corporation told the Gazette that it is keen for law firms to take part. However it admitted it had no evidence of any law firms paying less than the London minimum. 

Chris Hayward, vice chair of policy and resources committee at the City of London Corporation, told the Gazette he was not aware of any firms paying less. However, he said the only way to really tell if a business is paying the living wage is if they sign up to become an accredited 'living wage employer.' 

According to the LWF, 67 law firms in London and 25 firms in the City, including all the magic circle, are already registered on this basis. However as around 29,000 solicitors work in the square mile this represents a minority of firms. 

The London living wage is higher than the national living wage, which in April rises to £8.21 an hour. 

Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at the City of London Corporation, said: ‘One in five people employed in the capital don’t earn a wage they can live on. I’m calling on City firms to help consign this statistic to the history books.’