10,000 are signed up for Living Wage pay

MORE than 10,000 employers are now signed up to pay the voluntary Real Living Wage, it has been announced.

The milestone follows more than 4,600 employers agreeing to pay the voluntary rate – which is higher than the statutory figure – over the past few years.

The Living Wage Foundation, which sets the voluntary rates, said research from Cardiff Business School showed that one in 13 people now works for a living wage employer.

Living Wage employers commit to paying all staff, including contracted workers, £11.05 an hour in London and £9.90 outside the capital, compared with the national minimum wage of £9.50.

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Reaching 10,000 Living Wage Employers is an historic milestone for the Living Wage movement. Since the campaign’s beginnings 20 years ago, Living Wage accreditation has become a benchmark of responsible business in the UK, shaping the debate on low pay and changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the country with a wage that delivers dignity.

“As inflation hits new highs, the Living Wage movement is more vital than ever.”