In a major step towards higher pay for University staff, 228 members of the Regent House have submitted a Grace to the University Council calling on Cambridge to pay the real living wage.

It recommends that the Council call a ballot of the Regent House, the University’s governing body, so that a vote can be taken on the proposal that Cambridge commit to the Real Living Wage Campaign in the current academic year. The request has been passed onto the University Council’s Human Resources Committee and will be considered at a meeting on the 22nd January.

The Grace, a formal proposal for the Council to consider an issue, calls for Cambridge to begin paying the real living wage to “all staff and also contractors who work regularly on University premises.”

It follows a joint campaign by Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU), Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC) and Cambridge Defend Education for the University to begin paying all its staff the real living wage.

The University already pays direct employees the real living wage, but does not commit to ensuring its contracted workers are paid the same.

The Cambridge University Real Living Wage Campaign, launched last month, encouraged academics to back the Grace. It also received the support of Cambridge’s MP, Daniel Zeichner, who told Varsity that progress was needed to ensure wages were enough for staff to have a decent standard of living in “a particularly expensive city”.

In a statement to Varsity, CULC said it was “delighted”, and is “looking forward to continuing the campaign next term, keeping up the pressure on the University to make these meaningful changes, as well as ensuring equality across the colleges in terms of the living wage.”

According to the Living Wage Foundation, the real living wage is currently £8.75 for areas outside of London, and £10.20 inside London. The national living wage, the government minimum for employees over 25, is £7.50.

Any fifty members of the Regent House may submit a Grace to University Council, which then decides whether to allow it to be voted on by all Regent House members. Regent House membership includes mostly academic and senior administrative members of the University and Colleges.