Region to pay Living Wage
THE Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has become a Real Living Wage employer.
It means the authority which comprises six areas including Halton will pay its employees the rate which now stands at £8.75 per hour.
The announcement was made during Living Wage Week at an event at Everton Football Club.
The rate has been calculated by the Living Wage Foundation to ensure workers are able to enjoy a reasonable standard of living.
In a hard hitting speech, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram pledged to continue to campaign for the Real Living Wage to be adopted by as many employers and businesses as possible.
He said: “We have a third of a million people in our city region who are income deprived and we remain a city region where the median gross weekly income is much lower than the national average.
“There are 137,000 employees earning less than the Real Living Wage, and that is simply not acceptable.
“Our announcement is about more than ensuring justice and dignity for our own workforce, it’s about making a statement about the kind of city region we want to be and our commitment to fairness.”
Mr Rotheram believes that the case for a Real Living Wage also has a strong economic basis with companies who pay it reporting direct benefits in terms of productivity, staff morale, staff retention with savings on recruitment costs as a result.
Mr Rotheram added: “Of course it’s great that large businesses ● like Liverpool Football Club embrace the Living Wage and follow in the footsteps of Everton, but it’s probably more important when a local care company like Cooper Noble Care can pay the Living Wage and really improve the quality of life for employees in a sector where low pay is almost accepted as a fact of life.”
“There are many businesses and institutions out there who can and should be paying the Real Living Wage, and I will continue to campaign over the coming months to make sure more of them do.”