FRIENDS AND FAMILIES CELEBRATES COMMITMENT To REAL LIVING WAGE

Friends and Families has today accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Their Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Friends and Families receive a minimum hourly wage of £10.90, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £9.50 per hour.

Friends and Families is based in the South West, a region where almost a fifth of all jobs (18.1%) pay less than the real Living Wage - around 424,000 jobs. Despite this, Friends and Families has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to almost 400,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Tim Tod, CEO of Friends and Families ‘As a charity we believe that all our staff should have sufficient income from their work that meets their everyday needs. Becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer is just one of the ways we want those who work for us to feel valued in their work with the families we support.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Friends and Families has joined the movement of almost 11,000 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.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Friends and Families, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."