Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Living Wage Foundation are celebrating the addition of a trio of new companies to the Living Wage family of employers.
Majestic Wine, TSB and Brecon Carreg have joined the 2600 other employers who voluntarily choose to pay the higher Living Wage rates in London (£9.40 per hour) and the UK (£8.25 per hour) because this ensures that all their staff earn enough to live on.
Majestic Wine, the UK's largest wine specialist, is the first national wine and alcohol retailer to become an accredited employer of the Living Wage Foundation.
TSB committed to pay its Partners above the Living Wage when the bank launched in September 2013 and has been working with its suppliers and contractors to ensure that everyone employed on their behalf is also paid the Living Wage or above. TSB is set to become an accredited Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation on 1 August 2016.
Brecon Carreg who supply bottled water are based in Wales and have committed to pay all employees a wage of at least £8.25 an hour, which has helped place them among the 2,000 most favourable and ethical British employers to work for.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said:
I am determined to tackle low pay across the capital, working with employers to make London a Living Wage city. The Living Wage should be seen as a badge of honour for businesses and I hope many more will follow the fine example of Majestic Wine, TSB and Brecon Carreg and sign up to this scheme. As well as making a real difference to the quality of life for employees, there are clear benefits for businesses in increasing productivity, boosting morale and reducing staff turnover.
Katherine Chapman, Director at the Living Wage Foundation, said:
It's really exciting to have Majestic Wine, TSB and Brecon Carreg become Living Wage accredited employers as it means over 1200 people will get a pay rise. These companies like many other Living Wage employers have recognised that people are the lifeblood of their business and want to reward staff with a wage they can live on. The Living Wage is robust calculation of an hourly wage rate based on the basic cost of living in the UK and re-assessed annually. The rate is currently £8.25 in the UK and £9.40 in London - significantly higher than the national minimum wage now known as the National Living Wage which is £7.20 for over 25sand £6.70 an hour for under 25s.
Louise Ellis, People Director at Majestic Wine, said:
At Majestic we value our fantastic employees who inspire and delight our customers every day with a great range of wines and services. I'm very proud that Majestic is now an accredited employer of the Living Wage Foundation and I hope other retailers follow.
Rachel Lock, HR Director at TSB, said:
At TSB we've built a partnership culture and it's vital to us that everyone working for us feels valued and supported and paying the Living Wage to our employees helps us achieve that.
Jenna Bissell, Marketing Manager of Brecon Carreg, said:
We take the responsibility of being an ethical employer very seriously. Not only do we want our staff to be paid fairly but we have also obtained the Ethical Company Accreditation and the CO2 Neutral label for our production site.