NESS becomes the country's latest Scottish Living Wage employer
A Scottish charity boss has urged more employers to tackle poverty by paying the living wage.
Graham Findlay, chief executive for North East Sensory Services (NESS), says paying staff the rate makes good business sense as well as simply being the right thing to do.
He says employers should pay the Scottish Living Wage, which is 12% higher than the national living wage.
In his autumn statement, Chancellor Phillip Hammond announced an increase in the so-called national living wage for over 25s to £7.50 per hour from April 2017.
“It is important that we pay everyone a fair and reasonable wage
However the real Scottish Living Wage, a voluntary initiative delivered by the Poverty Alliance in association with The Living Wage Foundation, is currently set at £8.45 – with no age barrier.
NESS, which has offices in Aberdeen, Elgin and Dundee has committed to the real Living Wage, whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors.
It is one of only 17 organisations in Aberdeen to be accredited as a real Living Wage employer and one of hundreds throughout Scotland.
Findlay, said: “The increase in the national living wage is a positive step, however there is still a long way to go.
“At NESS we believe strongly in supporting our staff, as they are central to the excellent service we deliver.
“It is therefore important that we pay everyone a fair and reasonable wage, so we are delighted to have joined the Living Wage campaign.
“Our commitment to looking after our staff and volunteers earned us a prestigious award from Investors in People earlier this year, and becoming an accredited real Living Wage employer is the next step along that path towards being the best employer we can be.”
Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “Congratulations to NESS on becoming an accredited Living Wage employer.
“With two-thirds of children in poverty in Scotland living in a household where someone works, paying the Living Wage is more important than ever.
“Not only does paying the Living Wage ensure that everyone takes home a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, it has benefits to businesses too, including increased productivity, increased staff retention and lower rates of absenteeism.”
