Scottish Water has been accredited as a living wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation.
As part of its commitment, Scottish Water has paid all of its 3,500 employees the living wage since 2011.
The living wage rate is an independently calculated figure based on the cost of living. On 2 November the living wage increased from £7.85 an hour to £8.25.
The voluntary rate is significantly higher than the national minimum wage rate of £6.70 an hour. It also goes beyond the recently announced national living wage of £7.20 an hour, which comes into effect in April 2016.
Shirley Campbell, director of people, workplace and organisational development at Scottish Water, said: “Making Scottish Water a great place to work, while developing our 3,500 employees to their full potential, ensures we can deliver the excellent service on which all our customers around Scotland depend.
“We’re passionate about attracting and developing the next generation of people to work in the water industry in Scotland.”
Roseanna Cunningham, cabinet secretary for fair work, skills and training, who presented Scottish Water with its accreditation award, added: “Scottish Water is a significant employer in Scotland and [the] announcement sends a strong signal to employers that paying the living wage is both achievable and desirable.
“We know that paying the living wage is good for business, good for the individual and good for society and this is an important landmark in our drive to have at least 500 accredited employers by March next year.
“With so many employers signing up in the last year alone, thousands of Scottish employees have received a pay rise, and the announcement of this new rate of £8.25 earlier this week will be further welcome news.”