Sporting and fashion brand Fred Perry and pie making business Pieminister have received real living wage employer accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.
Employees at the two organisations across the UK will now receive a minimum of £12 per hour, while those based in London will get £13.15. This is higher than the government’s national living wage of £11.44, which applies to workers aged 21 and over.
The real living wage rate is based on the cost of living and voluntarily paid by living wage employers to all directly employed workers over the age of 18, as well as third-party staff. More than 15,000 UK employers have now signed up to pay their workforce the rate.
According to Pieminister, becoming a living wage employer is part of its Pies, Planet, People goals initiative to support its employees.
Tristan Hogg, chief executive officer and managing director of Pieminister, said: “There’s no denying that signing up as a living wage employer has significant financial implications, but we believe this accreditation is essential for any business that wants to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to caring for its workforce. Many of the individuals at Pieminister who have been most positively impacted by a wage increase are directly involved with our pie making process, and deservedly so. After all, where would we be without our pie makers?”
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, added: “We are delighted to have reached 15,000 accredited employers and to have employers such as Fred Perry and Pieminister join the living wage movement. Our growing network of accredited employers are committed to always paying their staff a wage based on the cost of living. Since the living wage movement began over 20 years ago, more than 460,000 staff have received pay rises and £3 billion has been put back into the pockets of low-paid workers.”
