Elmore celebrates two years as an accredited Living Wage Employer
Oxfordshire mental health, complex needs, domestic abuse, and homelessness charity Elmore Community Services has today celebrated two years as an accredited Living Wage Employer.
Our Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Elmore receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.50. This rate is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £8.91 per hour.
Elmore is based in the South East, a region where 15% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage - around 572,000 jobs. Despite this, Elmore has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work. Elmore is also an accredited Oxford Living Wage employer.
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 over 250,000 people and put over £1.3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Tom Hayes, Chief Executive of Elmore Community Services, said: “Elmore has become an Oxford Living Wage employer because we want to do the right thing by our skilled and committed workforce.”
Laura Gardiner, Director of Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Elmore has celebrated its second year as part of the movement of over 7,000 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 Elmore, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."
About the Living Wage
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to take a stand by ensuring their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives.
The UK Living Wage is currently £9.50 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £10.85 per hour to reflect the higher costs of transport, childcare and housing in the capital. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.
The Living Wage Foundation is the organisation at the heart of the movement of businesses, organisations and individuals who campaign for the simple idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The Living Wage Foundation receives guidance and advice from the Living Wage Advisory Council. The Foundation is supported by our principal partners: Aviva; IKEA; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; KPMG; Linklaters; Nationwide; Nestle; Resolution Foundation; Oxfam; Trust for London; People’s Health Trust; and Queen Mary University of London.
What about the Government’s national living wage?
In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. It was introduced in April 2016, originally applying for all workers over the age of 25, and, as of April 2021, is currently £8.91 an hour and applies for workers over the age of 23. The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rates are calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK.