Turning Drops into Ripples How a Living Wage Contributes to Human Rights Due Diligence Expert input 30 November 2021, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm CET The birth-given rights of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" from 1948 are interdependent and indivisible. That means: if one right is violated, other rights are often violated at the same time. Conversely, this also means that tackling a particular issue can significantly positively impact many other areas. Tourism is a major source of employment because of its labour-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on jobs in related sectors. But it's also an industry that is often characterised by seasonal contracts, massive overtime, lack of social security, discrimination and inequality. Businesses (in tourism and every other sector) can intensively combat working poverty by paying a living wage to their suppliers and employees. Enabling workers to have a dignified life is essential for human rights due diligence and corporate social responsibility. When people are paid adequately for their work, the need for overtime is reduced, which often means more time with family, decreasing risks of child labour, increased overall well-being and a life of dignity. A living wage should, therefore, not be seen as a cost factor but a long-term investment. Dilan Gurgur works as Programme Manager for the "Living Wage Foundation", an organisation that encourages businesses to pay a real living wage based on the cost of living, not just the government minimum. She will take you along the journey of a living wage and why it makes sense to pay one, even from an economic perspective. This webinar aims to highlight the positive impacts of a living wage. It is targeted at small and medium-sized tour operators, as well as other tourism businesses and is intended to Be a wake-up call: How Covid has worsened working and living conditions around the world and how a living wage can counteract this development Understand the difference between existing and living: How the absence of living wage impacts many human rights Tackle the root: How tour operators identify the appropriate living wage for individual countries and employees Click here to evaluate Speaker: Dilan Gurgur has joined the Living Wage Foundation in December 2018 as a Programme Officer overseeing accreditation previously in the North East of England and currently in the South West. Aside from accreditation she is working on Living Work Consultancy and the Global Living Wage. She has previous experience in teaching and working in a child sexual abuse NGO in Turkey, which provided rehabilitation and legal aid for children and families. She also has volunteered and organised various events working with refugee children. She holds an undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences from University of York and a master’s degree in Education, Gender and International Development from UCL. Moderation: Katharina Stechl is working as Program Manager for the multi-stakeholder initiative and non-profit association Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism. After her studies in Tourism Management at the University of Applied Science in Munich, among other jobs, she worked for the “Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit” (GIZ) in India in the field of urban and industrial development. She has profound experience in the areas of international development cooperation and communication/copywriting. The Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism builds a trusted network of currently 33 tourism stakeholders from six countries. It provides access to expertise, initiates pilot projects and develops learning materials to support the implementation of human rights due diligence in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles within tourism companies, the supply chain and in destinations. Click here to evaluate