East Ayrshire Council supports Living Wage Week
East Ayrshire Council will be supporting Living Wage Week (6-12 November) as an accredited Living Wage Employer that wants to ensure that people are paid fairly for the work they do.
The Council, which achieved accredited living wage status in April 2020, is one of 3,400 Living Wage employers in Scotland.
An announcement was made this week that the real Living Wage rate has risen from £10.90 to £12 per hour for over 18s, meaning that more than 64,000 workers in Scotland will receive a pay rise.
The real Living Wage is based on the cost of living and is calculated by taking into consideration things like the weekly food shop and household bills but also costs like a boiler breaking down or a birthday present for children. This is different to the Government minimum wage for over 23s, called the ‘National Living Wage’ which is based on a percentage of median earnings, and all employers are required to pay it. It’s worth about £3,000 less per year than the real Living Wage and does not cover the cost of living.
Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council said: “The Council wholly supports the real Living Wage which, unlike the National Living Wage, is based on living costs including housing, fuel, food, childcare, transport and essential items of clothing, like winter coats for children.
“This pay rise will make a massive difference to many of our employees who are being hardest hit by inflation and the cost of living crisis.
“Achieving accredited Living Wage status in 2020 was an important part of our vision for East Ayrshire and our local workforce, and we are proud to be accredited Living Wage employers more so than ever right now.”
You can find out more about the Living Wage by visiting www.livingwage.org.uk.