Wythenshawe Community Housing Group welcomes the new ‘UK Living Wage’ rate increase
Wythenshawe Community Housing Group is proud to be a ‘Living Wage’ employer, and plays its part in being one of the independent movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, it provides an ethical benchmark for responsible pay. The real ‘Living Wage’ is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by nearly 6,000 UK businesses.
The campaign for Living Wage was launched by members of London Citizens in 2001. Parents found that despite working two, or more, minimum wage jobs they were struggling to make ends meet, and were left with no time for community and family life. Living wage is an example of how civil society, businesses and organisations can work together to tackle in-work poverty. It enjoys cross party support, with public backing from successive Metropolitan Mayors and MPs across the UK, including First Ministers in Wales and Scotland.
Living Wage employers found that paying a decent wage, as well as being the right thing to do, had real business benefits. They talked of lower staff turnover and a better bottom line. Staff felt valued so they went the extra mile. The more Living Wage employers talked about the benefits, the more others wanted to get involved.
WCHG Nick Horne, Group Chief Executive said, “The Living Wage is a key tool at our disposal and we welcome the recent increase announced on the 11th November, which we have implemented immediately within our workforce now paying the new rate of £9.30 per hour. It’s a win-win for us and not only helps our employees afford to live with dignity but also helps our business by improving motivation, and retaining and attracting a quality workforce. We believe in investing in our people which are our greatest assets”
Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation said, “We see organisations and businesses across the UK embracing the real Living Wage as they recognise that a fair day’s pay is not only the right thing to do but can improve the quality of staff’s work, reduce absenteeism and increase motivation and retention.”
“Today’s increase acknowledges that the cost of living continues to rise for workers everywhere and the leadership shown by businesses who welcome this is a cause for celebration during Living Wage Week, sending a positive message to the business community to show what others can achieve.”
Take a look how we support the Living Wage with our short video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpJfSEQ1cKs
For more information about Living Wage Week go to http://www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-week
