Its Living Wage Week 2017 - WORKPLACE welcomes the new Living Wage week rate

Accredited Living Wage Recognised Service Provider WORKPLACE welcomes the increase in UK and London rates announced by the Living Wage Foundation as part of Living Wage Week (November 5th-11th 2017).

WORKPLACE is proud to be part of a movement of over 100 Recognised Service Providers who offer Living Wage options for contracted staff, ensuring a real Living Wage is always possible when outsourcing services.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support.

The London Living Wage is now £10.20 per hour, an increase of 45p per hour. This figure covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is now £8.75 per hour, an increase of 30p per hour. These figures are set annually by the Resolution Foundation.

The Living Wage rates are independently calculated, based on the real cost of living in the UK and London. The 2017 increases have been largely driven by higher inflation feeding through to the basket of goods and services that underpin the rates, with rising private rents and transport costs also having an impact.

The announcements come after new research published by KPMG yesterday showed that 5.5 million people across the UK are still paid less than the real Living Wage, that’s 1 in 5 workers, 21% of the UK workforce.

Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation said: “Year-on-year, we see organisations and businesses across the UK embracing the real Living Wage as they recognise that a fair day’s pay is not only the right thing so to but can improve the quality of staff’s work, reduce absenteeism and increase motivation and retention.” “Today’s increase acknowledges that the cost of living continues to rise for workers everywhere and the leadership shown by businesses who welcome this is a cause for celebration during Living Wage Week, sending a positive message to the business community to show what others can achieve.”

For more information about Living Wage Week go to http://www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-week