Danone's Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Danone receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.50 in the UK or £10.85 in London. Both rates are significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £8.72 per hour. With this commitment, Danone become the 7,000th firm to commit to supporting their workers to earn what they need to live.
Danone is a world-leading food and beverage company with a unique health-focused portfolio including UK household favourites such as evian, Alpro, Activia and Aptamil. With over 1,600 employees in the UK, operating from five locations around the country, Danone is dedicated to delivering both economic and social progress in the communities where it operates. Danone is recognised for its commitment to the B Corp movement and also features in a number of sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Ethical Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good index among others.
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 250,000 people and put over £1.3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Helen Marriott, one of Danone's HR Directors said "At Danone we've long believed in using our business as a force for good and we're proud to join a movement of employers who recognise the true cost of living in the UK. We believe people are the heart of any business; recognising, rewarding and empowering them in our view is not just the right thing to do but also key to success.
During this time of extraordinary change and uncertainty, this one of many practical commitments businesses can make to support their people by offering them more financial security and confidence to plan for their futures."
Laura Gardiner, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: "We are delighted to announce Danone as the 7,000th accredited Living Wage Employer, going above the government minimum to make sure all their staff, including placement students and 3rd party partner cleaning and catering staff, earn enough to live on. In this difficult time, their commitment will help to give their staff the additional support they need to better support themselves and their families.
"Danone's accreditation takes the Living Wage movement to 7,000 strong, where they join thousands of small businesses as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, and Everton Football Club in recognising that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer, and that a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay."