STUDENTS in York have voted to push for the living wage at their university.

The University of York’s student Green Party, Labour, and Liberal Democrat groups, and the university’s Quaker and socialist societies, banded together to start a campaign on the issue, and last week saw an overwhelming 90 per cent of votes in a student referendum support calls for the living wage accreditation.

Students are now pushing for the university staff and its subsidiary York Conferences Limited to become living wage employers, paying at least £7.85 per hour.

The student campaign’s Stuart Maule said: “Finally we have a clear answer that York students want their university to become Living Wage Foundation-accredited and join the rest of the City of York in becoming a living-wage city. On behalf of the University of York Campaign for Living Wage, I would like to thank everyone who got engaged with the referendum and especially everyone who voted yes.

“We look forward to working with the student union YUSU and call on the University of York to engage on this issue and respect the wishes of their students.”

But university bosses said they do not want to roll out the Living Wage at YCL.

A spokesman said: “The rates of pay for some staff in our trading subsidiary, YCL, are slightly below those recommended by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF). This is because YCL has to compete with other businesses in the city where wage rates and conditions are significantly lower.

In addition, the trading year on campus is constrained by the fact that more than 80 per cent of students are off campus for at least 12 weeks a year. Our policy is to take account of the LWF rates in our annual negotiations with the campus trade unions, but not to guarantee that we will always follow the LWF’s recommendations. Our policy is not to seek LWF accreditation for the university.”

He added: “Having said that, we are happy to engage in dialogue with student representatives and to listen to their point of view on this issue.”

Living Wage Foundation accreditation would ensure university and YCL staff were all paid the living wage, as well as staff at contractors and suppliers used by the university.