Decent Work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities to work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all.
Decent work is a priority area of the Guelph & Wellington Poverty Elimination Collaborative. To ensure that employment can offer a pathway out of poverty, the Poverty Elimination Collaborative supports fair wages and working conditions for all workers in the following ways:
- Supporting the calculation of the Living Wage and acting as local contact for the Ontario Living Wage Network’s employer certification program
- Increasing awareness and support for decent work through the Decent Work Project, an initiative of the Poverty Elimination Collaborative in partnership with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition and funded by Atkinson Foundation that engaged over 1500 workers in Guelph and Wellington County in community conversations, trainings and a creative workshop series that resulted in the Decent Work Audio Plays.
- Supporting conversations and action to implement Community Wealth Building as a pathway to decent work and community benefits.
Livable Incomes
A LIVABLE INCOME is the amount of income an individual or family needs to meet basic needs, maintain a safe, decent standard of living in their community, and save for future needs and goals. Livable incomes can be achieved through employment earnings, as well as government transfers and benefits, such as social assistance.
MEASURES THAT MATTER
- 9.7% of private households in Guelph-Wellington are living below the Low-Income Measure After-Tax
- The median after-tax income was $70,728 in Guelph-Wellington in 2015. Median incomes were lowest in Wellington North ($56,905) and Minto ($60,658).
- Since 2010, the number of Ontario Works cases has increased by just under 9% in Guelph-Wellington