Council is among more than 3000 Scottish employers paying the real Living Wage
Posted on 6 Nov 2023
The real Living Wage is vital in helping residents battle the very real impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis.
And North Ayrshire Council Depute Leader Shaun Macaulay has issued a rallying call to all businesses across the area to make a commitment to paying the real Living Wage in times when their staff need financial support more than ever.
Living Wage Week is the annual celebration of the Living Wage Movement and runs from November 6 to 12.
Around 3400 employers are already accredited in Scotland and, as a result of this commitment, 64,000 workers across the country have received a pay rise.
The new hourly pay rate of £12 for 2024 - which is independently calculated by The Resolution Foundation – was announced on October 24 and is based on what people in the UK need to earn to afford a decent standard of living.
It is paid voluntarily by employers, and the price of childcare, transport, heating and housing are all taken into account when the rate is set.
The Council has been a Living Wage Employer since 2011 and continues to champion the cause for staff to feel they are valued, and their well-being is important.
North Ayrshire Council’s top priorities include tackling child poverty and supporting residents through the Cost-of-living Crisis. And the three key drivers of child poverty are income from employment, income from social security and the cost of living.
Councillor Macaulay said: “Here in North Ayrshire, more than 50 employers pay the real Living Wage and I would encourage others to follow suit if possible.
“People are the most valuable asset of any business, and taking care of staff has many benefits including greater staff retention and increased morale.
“The ongoing Cost-of-Living Crisis - which is seeing many people face higher winter bills than previous years, increased inflation and wage freezes – means employees genuinely need support right now.”
The two key requirements for businesses to become accredited are:
- All directly-employed staff aged 18 and over must be paid at least the real Living Wage and
- to the extent permitted by law, all regular contracted workers must also be paid the real Living Wage.
The real Living Wage is different to the UK Government’s National Living Wage, which is not calculated according to what employees need to live on.
The Council works closely with Ardrossan-based housing, debt and welfare charity CHAP, which is an accredited employer and recently welcomed Councillor Macaulay for a visit to its base in Princes Street.
CHAP’s process of accreditation started two years ago, through a meeting with the Fair Work Ayrshire programme team.
This provided the catalyst to review the entire wage structure, and resulted in the charity funding staff to undertake additional, voluntary training through SVQs.
CHAP CEO Debbie Alexander said: “We exist to improve hope and wellbeing for our clients, not just through providing free, debt and housing advice but by recognising that debt occurs through a huge variety of circumstances.
“We help clients to improve life skills such as budgeting, where appropriate, and in that context, it seems particularly important for us to champion the Living Wage”.
Living Wage Week runs from November 6 to 12, and you can find out what is happening by using #LivingWageWeek on social media.
To find out more about the Real Living Wage, go online to https://scottishlivingwage.org/
If you are in need of help and advice, or would like to speak to CHAP about supporting any of its planned initiatives, please contact the team through the website www.chap.org.uk
If you need help with Cost-of-Living support please visit the Council’s dedicated webpage at https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living/
Here, you will find a wide range of advice on energy, benefits, food and clothing, health and wellbeing and a section dedicated to our business community.
There is also a handy Council information leaflet online here https://tinyurl.com/43bj33ec that gives information about clothing grants and free school meals, Council Tax reduction, Community Larders and more.
Our photograph shows North Ayrshire Council Depute Leader Shaun Macaulay with (third from left) CHAP CEO Debbie Alexander and her team at the charity’s Ardrossan base.