Today, Legado has become an accredited Living Wage employer. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Legado receive above a minimum hourly wage of £9.90. This rate is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £8.91 per hour, but is set to increase to £9.50 from April 2022 onwards.
In Scotland, more than 15% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage – around 350,000 jobs. Despite this, Legado has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay.
Since 2011, the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 45,000 people in Scotland and put over £240 million extra into the pockets of low paid Scottish workers.
Josif Grace, CEO of Legado said: Legado are proud to be supporters of the Living Wage movement and have been paying the living wage since the beginning of our story. Most good employers who value their teams like us already do, but now as an accredited Living Wage Foundation member, we also look to our supply chain and have ensured that our vendors are paying the living wage, too. This is complex, but it is also critical. It is the real way to support our ethics through influence, because as small as we are, we can all be part of the solution.
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance said: Too many workers in Scotland are in the grip of poverty and employers choosing to pay at least the real Living Wage can loosen that grip. Payment of the real Living Wage allows those in work to become more included in society, better meet their everyday needs, and feel that their value and hard work is recognised by their employer. Congratulations to Legado on their Living Wage commitment, and I hope more organisations follow their lead by becoming Living Wage accredited.
Lynn Anderson, Living Wage Scotland Manager said: “We’re delighted that Legado has become an accredited Living Wage employer. They join a growing movement of over 1900 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need to thrive.
Our Living Wage employer network includes lots of smaller employers as well as larger and iconic brands like SSE, Standard Life Aberdeen, Barrs, Brewdog, & D.C. Thomson. We hope to see many more employers following their example.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
What about the Government’s national living wage?
In July 2015, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. It was introduced in April 2016, originally applying to all workers over the age of 25, and, as of April 2021, is currently £8.91 an hour and applies for workers over the age of 23. The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rates are calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK.
About the real Living Wage
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to ensure their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives.
The UK Living Wage is currently £9.90 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £11.05 per hour.
These figures are announced each year by the Living Wage Foundation. The rates are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.
The Living Wage Foundation is the organisation at the heart of the UK movement of businesses, organisations and individuals who campaign for the simple idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.
About Living Wage Scotland & The Poverty Alliance
Living Wage Scotland was established in April 2014 by the Poverty Alliance with the aim of increasing the number of employers in Scotland who are recognised for paying their staff the real Living Wage.
Living Wage Scotland is a partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and is funded by the Scottish Government.
The Poverty Alliance is the national anti-poverty network in Scotland with a long track record in working with individuals and communities affected by poverty to take action, and in providing support to influence policies solutions in Scotland.
Accredited Living Wage employers in Scotland span private, public and third sectors. SMEs make up 75% of the total number of employers and more than half of Scotland’s local councils are accredited. Find out more at www.scottishlivingwage.org/accredited