National bus operator First Bus has received real living wage employer accreditation.
All of its 1,300 UK employees, including workers employed through third-party contractors, will be paid at least £12 per hour. This is over and above the UK government’s national living wage, which increased this month for workers aged 21 and above to £11.44 per hour.
The real living wage is a voluntary rate of pay that is calculated annually by the Living Wage Foundation, based on living costs rather than the median earnings calculations used for the national living wage.
First Bus’ accreditation is part of an ongoing business transformation to putting employees and customers at the heart of everything it does. Its aim is to cement its position as an employer of choice in the sector, demonstrate the importance of its employees to the business and ensure no worker ever gets left behind.
First Bus will also raise the wages of its apprentices to the real living wage level over the next 18 months, to recognise the value it places on a diverse and inclusive apprenticeship population.
Janette Bell, managing director of First Bus, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Living Wage Foundation and are thrilled to be become a fully accredited real living wage employer. This has an immediate positive impact for 1,300 of our employees with a pay rise from today and we are, once again, demonstrating to our people and the market that we care.
“Engaged employees encourage customers to travel more often. So, by treating our employees well, we are also helping to achieve our mission to get people out of their cars and onto the bus. We want First Bus to be a place where our people feel welcome, can be their true selves and succeed. It is vital that we do all we can to support our employees, and this is another important step in our transformation journey.”