Riello UPS has become the latest company to achieve accreditation as a living wage employer, meaning it pays at least £9.50 an hour.
While the UK Government now describes the national minimum wage as a ‘living wage’, the Living Wage Foundation doesn’t believe that the national minimum truly reflects the cost of living. That’s why the foundation sets its own living wage, which employers can voluntarily sign up for.
Riello UPS has voluntarily signed up to pay at least the wage set by the Living Wage Foundation, committing to the scheme’s principles of delivering ‘a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work’.
The Living Wage Foundation works out the real living wage through a calculation that takes into account the costs of living. It is currently set at a minimum of £9.50 per hour (£10.85 in London), significantly higher than the £8.91 an hour government rate for over 23s.
With Riello UPS based in Wrexham, Wales, its commitment to pay the living wage is significant. That’s because Wales is a region with one of the highest proportions of low paid jobs in the UK, with more than 241,000 jobs (21%) paying less than the real living wage.
Leo Craig, Managing Director of Riello UPS, commented, “The pandemic has proved beyond doubt that a business can only succeed through the efforts of its team. I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve all pulled together in these most challenging of times.
“It’s only right that this hard work is rewarded and recognised, which is why we’ve committed to paying the real living wage to all our staff and any third-party contractors. It’s the responsible thing to do and we’d urge other businesses to follow suit.”
Laura Gardiner, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Riello UPS has joined the movement of nearly 8,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real living wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Riello UPS, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
