Health and wellbeing charity Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) has received living wage employer accreditation as part of its commitment to support its workforce.
As part of the accreditation, each PCP employee will receive a minimum hourly wage of £12, which is the real living wage rate for workers across the UK. This is higher than the current government minimum wage for workers over the age of 21, which stands at £11.44.
The Living Wage Foundation calculates the rate based on the cost of living and what people need to make ends meet. It is voluntary and aims to offer a more realistic rate than the national living wage.
PCP made the decision to become a living wage employer as it believes that recognising its staff is important and that they deserve a wage that meets everyday needs. It supports its employees with pay increases each year that reflect inflation rates, and also provided £500 cost of living payments per employee in 2023 in order to ensure they felt secure and valued.
Carol Gaskarth, chief executive of Pioneering Care Partnership, said: “PCP employs more than 140 people across the North East, and we want to ensure that our staff are not only valued, but also fairly compensated. By becoming a living wage employer our employees earn above the minimum wage, in alignment with real living costs. Our staff are the backbone of the organisation. Ensuring they are paid a fair wage is essential, especially during the cost of living crisis, and is essential to their health and wellbeing, so it’s an important step for us to ensure we support our staff to have a happy and healthy life.
“PCP’s decision to become a living wage employer is rooted in our core values of supporting our communities. We believe in supporting our employees as they support our community. This accreditation reinforces our dedication to providing a sustainable and supportive working environment.”
