Warwickshire County Cricket Club accredited as living wage employer

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Warwickshire County Cricket Club has been accredited as a real living wage employer as part of an ongoing commitment to supporting its staff and addressing the cost-of-living.

More than 180 regular staff who work at Edgbaston for the club, or for partners G4S and Compass, will receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.90, higher than the government minimum rate for adults aged 23 and over of £9.50 per hour. Further casual staff will also benefit from the increase.

The real living wage is calculated annually and based on the actual cost of living, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, which has helped secure pay rises for more than 300,000 people since 2011.

Stuart Cain, chief executive of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “Giving local people the chance to earn a decent wage is important if we want to help support the communities we serve, so we’re delighted to be named as a real living wage employer. I think we’re the first professional sports club in the West Midlands, and the first cricket club in the UK to make this commitment.

“We don’t function without our people, so we’re trying to do what we can to support them through the cost-of-living crisis. It’s the least they deserve for their effort and dedication. I know that all businesses are under financial pressure, but just wish more employees would sign up across the region so that anyone working in the West Midlands and Warwickshire stands a fighting chance of earning a fair wage.”

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, stated: “We’re delighted that Warwickshire County Cricket Club has joined the movement of almost 9,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.”