Wiltshire Community Foundation celebrates commitment to real Living Wage

Wiltshire Community Foundation is incredibly proud to announce that we have been officially accredited as a Living Wage employer, certified by the Living Wage Foundation.

The commitment will see everyone working at the Foundation receive a minimum hourly wage of £12, higher than the Government’s minimum for over 21s, which currently stands at £11.44 per hour.

A tenth of all jobs within the South West, (11.8%), pay less than the real Living Wage - around 285,000 jobs. Despite this, Wiltshire Community Foundation has committed to paying the real Living Wage as both a dedication to our employees and acknowledgement of their continued tireless work to improve the lives of those within our local community.

We join a network of organisations, ranging from local businesses such as Wansbroughs Solicitors, local charities such as Citizen’s Advice Wiltshire and SMASH in Swindon, and national brands such as Barclays, Burberry and Liverpool Football Club.

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.

According to statistics published by the Living Wage Foundation in 2022, 14.1% of jobs in the third sector are paid less than the real Living Wage, which compares to 5.5% in the public sector and 22.1% in the private sector.

There are huge benefits, both as an employer and as an employee, to paying the real Living Wage. For example, workers reported being paid the real Living Wage positively impacted their mental and physical health.

Our joint Chief Executive, Vicky Hickey, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been officially accredited as a Living Wage employer. It is a testament to our commitment as a Foundation to set a positive example within our local community, and we hope to inspire and encourage other employers to follow in our footsteps

“Our staff are so important to us as an organisation, they’re at the heart of what we do and work extremely hard, and I am really proud that they will be earning a pay which reflects this.”

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Wiltshire Community Foundation has joined the movement of over 14,000 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.

“These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Wiltshire Community Foundation, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."