The Heart of England Community Foundation has today accredited as a Living Wage Employer. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at the Foundation receive a minimum hourly wage of £10.90, higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.
The Foundation is based in the West Midlands, a region where 13.3% of all workers earn less than they need to earn to get by, with around 316,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, the charity 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 rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Tina Costello, CEO at the Foundation, said:
“The Foundation understands how valuable our employees are and recognises the importance of their work, becoming a Living Wage Employer ensures that our employees can afford to live and support themselves and their families without worry, especially during the current rise in living costs.
“We pride ourselves on making the West Midlands and Warwickshire a better place to live, work and play through our grant-making and this mission extends to our own employees.”
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
“We’re delighted that the Heart of England Community Foundation has joined the movement of over 12,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like the Foundation, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”