Real Living Wage will benefit Council employees
Staff at North Ayrshire Council will be paid the new real Living Wage rate a full six months early.
The Living Wage rates for 2024/2025 were announced on 23 October and employers are given six months – until 1 May 2025 - from this date to implement them.
The Council has made the decision to pay the new rate from 23 October.
There are 3,750 Living Wage-accredited businesses across Scotland who will give almost 70,000 staff a pay rise.
Here in North Ayrshire, there are more than 50 Living Wage-accredited employers registered with Living Wage Scotland.
The hourly pay rate is independently calculated by the Resolution Foundation based on what people in the UK need to earn to afford a decent standard of living, and it is paid voluntarily by employers.
The price of childcare, transport, heating and housing are all taken into account when the rate is set.
The rate for 2024/2025, overseen by the Living Wage Commission, is £12.60 per hour – an increase of 60p per hour on last year.
The Council has been a real Living Wage Employer since 2011 and continues to champion the real Living Wage cause.
Quote: The Cost-of-Living Crisis, sadly, isn’t going away and many people in our communities are struggling to make ends meet. It is vital to us, as a local authority, that our staff have a decent standard of living. Paying the new rate of the real Living Wage – and paying it early – will make a difference. So, we are paying relevant staff the £12.60 rate with effect from the date of the announcement on 23 October.
Quote from: Council Leader Marie Burns, Chair of the Tackling Child Poverty and Cost of Living Board
The announcement will have a positive impact on 764 Council employees working in predominantly frontline roles.
Living Wage Week runs from November 4 to 10, and you can find out what is happening by using #LivingWageWeek on social media.
Please note: To find out more about the real Living Wage, see the Living Wage Scotland page.
Published: 30 October 2024