Celtic's Woes

Celtic was founded to help the poor Irish peasantry who fled their homeland in the 19th century following the ravages of an Gorta Mór, the Great Famine, which ravaged the land. The descendants of these people still form the core of the Celtic support and many are also to be found working for the club on low wages or in a part-time capacity. Their love of Celtic and what they think the club represents play a major role in their job satisfaction and loyalty to their employers. For many of the supporters, poverty, multi-deprivation and health inequality remain significant factors in their day-to-day existence.

10,000 recently signed a petition seeking the removal of Ian Livingston from Celtic’s board of directors. He is a lord of the realm who sits in the Upper House as a representative of the Conservative party, Lord Livingston of Parkhead. Earlier this month, he voted in that chamber to support the government’s plans to end family tax credits, a measure that would have increased the economic hardship being experienced by tens of thousands of families who support Celtic. Parkhead is one of the five poorest neighbourhoods in the United Kingdom, where male life expectancy is barely 60 years and where the rates of heart disease, unemployment, poor academic achievement and fuel poverty are scandalously high. Celtic, as a club, has grown successful and its players very rich on generations of support from Parkhead and many other districts like it. The petition to remove him was really a cri de coeur from their core support at what they regard as the continuing betrayal of the club’s founding principles.

Celtic chairman, Ian Bankier, is the man who defended Celtic’s refusal to pay the living wage to its lowest-paid employees at the 2013 AGM. As well as that, he asserted inexplicably that Celtic did not recognise any trade unions and that to pay the living wage to all of its employees would cost the club around £500k a year. £500k wouldn’t cover the bonuses of several of the current first team. Since then, Celtic has modified its position by stating that it will pay the living wage to its full-time staff but already one of its employees is distressed that in exchange for paying him the living wage the club is asking him and others to forfeit their annual bonus.

Celtic is concerned that by signing up to the living wage set by the Living Wage Foundation it is ceding some control of its remuneration policy to an outside agency. What it fails to recognise is that there would be no requirement for the Living Wage Foundation to exist if rich organisations such as Celtic FC paid all of its employees a wage that gave them an opportunity to raise a family, feed and heat them and maintain a roof over all of their heads. By adhering to the socially irresponsible philosophy of the Conservative party in its wage policy it risks inflicting irreparable damage to this jealously guarded reputation.

Taken from here