The concept of a living wage is not something new, but with recent reports warning of the lag between wages and productivity and outlining the failures in trickle down economics, it is in the spotlight. what has been done and what more companies can do to ensure that a living wage is paid... Based on my experience as Oxfam's Ethical Trade Manager, there are THREE drivers of poverty wages... Unfair share of value in the chain... Absence of collective bargaining...Inadequate minimum wages...These factors taken together create an almost perfect recipe for growing inequality...Today, Oxfam publishes Steps towards a living wage in global supply chains...We hope that the briefing helps companies get it right on this challenging issue.