New Chair Of The Living Wage Foundation Advisory Council Announced

11 Apr 2016

PRESS RELEASE

12th April 2016  

NEW CHAIR OF THE LIVING WAGE FOUNDATION ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNOUNCED

Stuart Wright, Group Property & Facilities Director at the global insurance group Aviva, has been appointed Chair of The Living Wage Foundation Advisory Council.

Stuart brings with him a wealth of experience having served on the Living Wage Advisory Council for over 2 years.  Aviva plc has been a Principal Partner with the Living Wage Foundation since 2012, and has been an accredited employer since 2014.

The Advisory Council provides advice and guidance to the Living Wage Foundation on the development of the Living Wage in the UK.

Stuart's appointment as chair comes at a milestone moment in the Living Wage movement, which has nearly 2,400 accredited employers (including a third of the FTSE 100) who choose to pay the voluntary higher rate of pay to all of their employees, including regular third-party contractors.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:

We are delighted to welcome Stuart as Chair of the Advisory Council. Stuart has been an active champion of the Living Wage and the Foundation will greatly benefit from his leadership, expertise and personal commitment as we continue to grow the Living Wage movement in the UK. We are thankful to Mike Kelly for his commitment and dedication over the last 5 years, which has seen the Foundation grow from strength to strength, including the mainstreaming of the living wage concept. With more employers joining the Foundation every day, we have a real opportunity to take the Living Wage campaign to the next level in supporting businesses to offer both high quality work and a wage that reflects the cost of living. Stuart's leadership will be invaluable in guiding the Foundation as it grows.

Stuart Wright commented: 

I feel privileged to have been asked to take on this important role at a crucial time for the Living Wage and with the strong support of Aviva.  A significant amount has been achieved in the last 5 years; together we can build upon this to extend the UK Living Wage to an ever- increasing number of people. Our aim remains the elimination of in-work poverty.

Mike Kelly, former Head of Living Wage at KPMG LLP, stood down as chair at the end of March 2016.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. Stuart is responsible for operational property and facilities activity across the Aviva Group, including property acquisitions and disposals, and all aspects of facilities management. 

  2. Before joining Aviva, Stuart spent some time at PA Consulting Group and prior to that served in the Royal Engineers. He has a Civil Engineering degree which provides a broad understanding of a number of aspects of the built environment and their impact on modern life. Stuart spent some time as a member of the Norwich Chamber of Commerce and as Governor of a Norfolk high school.

  3. A photograph of Stuart is available at http://www.aviva.com/media/images-and-logos/ 

Media enquiries to:

Shazia Ejaz, Head of Media, Living Wage Foundation, shazia.ejaz@citizensuk.org Mobile: 07956 842 683

Paul Lebidineuse, Aviva,  paul.lebidineuse@aviva.com - mobile: 07800 690960

About the Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support.

The London Living Wage is currently £9.40 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Greater London Authority and covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £8.25 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. There are currently over 2,300 accredited employers. We are an initiative of Citizens UK. We believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty.

What about the Government's 'national living wage'?

In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government will introduce a compulsory 'national living wage'. This new government rate is a minimum wage premium rate for staff over 25 years old, introduced from April 2016 at a rate of £7.20 per hour. The rate is separate to the Living Wage rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The Government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rate is calculated according to the cost of living.

The National Minimum Wage
(including the 'national living wage')

The Living Wage

 

The legal minimum an employee can earn in an hour. Employers break the law if they fail to pay this rate

 

 

A voluntary rate that employers' commit to pay in order to go above and beyond. The Living Wage Employer Mark is a sign of best practice

 

 

The 'national living wage' rate will be £7.20 an hour

 

The current UK Living Wage is £8.25 an hour.

The current London Living Wage is £9.40 an hour

 

This will increase each year, with the aim of reaching 60% of the median wage across the country by 2020 (this would mean around £9 an hour but the Low Pay Commission will consider what the market can bear)

 

This will increase in line with the cost of living with increases announced in Living Wage Week every year

 

Different rates apply depending on the age of the employee. The 'national living wage' is for over 25s only

 

The Living Wage is the same for all employees over the age of 18

 

Set by the Low Pay Commission

 

Set by the Living Wage Foundation

 

Based on an estimation of what the market can bear

 

Based on the cost of living

 

The rates are the same right across the UK

 

There is a separate rate for London to reflect the higher cost of living in the Capital

About Aviva:

  • Aviva provides life insurance, general insurance, health insurance and asset management to 33 million customers, across 16 markets worldwide.

  • In the UK we are the leading insurer serving one in every four households and have strong businesses in selected markets in Europe, Asia and Canada. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE100 index.  

  • Aviva's asset management business, Aviva Investors, provides asset management services to both Aviva and external clients, and currently manages over £289 billion in assets.

  • Aviva helps people save for the future and manage the risks of everyday life; we paid out £30.7 billion in benefits and claims in 2015.

  • By serving our customers well, we are building a business which is strong and sustainable, which our people are proud to work for, and which makes a positive contribution to society.

  • The Aviva media centre at http://www.aviva.com/media/ includes company information, images, and a news release archive.

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