Living Wage employers now number 3,500
Two more employers have joined the ranks of those paying the voluntary Living Wage to take the total number of accredited employers to 3,500.
Moyses Stevens Flowers, a network of florists across London, has joined the movement of businesses and organisations voluntarily paying the real Living Wage to become the 3,500th accredited Living Wage employer.
Elsewhere, Sandwell Council in the West Midlands will pay the voluntary Living Wage rate to 150 council employees and 650 school staff from April 2018. Cleaners, learning support assistants, playworkers, nursery staff and school crossing wardens will receive a pay rise of between 6% and 8%.
The voluntary Living Wage is an independently set hourly rate of pay that is calculated according to the basic costs of living. It is currently set at £8.45 an hour for employees working across the UK, and at £9.75 an hour for staff based in London.
The higher London Living Wage reflects the increased living costs associated with living and working in the capital. New hourly rates will be announced in early November as part of Living Wage Week.
The voluntary Living Wage is distinct from the statutory National Living Wage, which currently set at £7.50 an hour and is paid to employees aged 25 and over.
www.sandwell.gov.uk/news/article/4481/council_set_to_bring_in_living_wage_for_all_staff