Edinburgh College is Living Wage employer

Edinburgh College receives Living Wage accreditation

 The Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative has granted Living Wage employer status to Edinburgh College. Edinburgh College already paid staff the real Living Wage but receiving formal accreditation for this strengthens its commitment to fair pay for all staff.

Everyone working at Edinburgh College receives a minimum hourly wage of £8.75, which is the real Living Wage as of 1 November 2017. This rate is significantly higher than the statutory minimum for over-25s of £7.50 per hour introduced in April 2017.

Accreditation confirms that the college will continue to pay the real Living Wage. It also means the college will encourage all contractors and third-party suppliers to pay the real Living Wage themselves. 

The real Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the real costs of living.

The accreditation is announced during this week’s Living Wage Week, which promotes the real Living Wage as an aspiration for organisations.

Edinburgh College Principal Annette Bruton said: “Although we were already meeting our commitment to paying staff the real Living Wage, achieving accreditation is very important to us. We’re joining other committed organisations as a Living Wage employer and contributing to developing a fairer society.

“We have a responsibility to our staff to make sure they’re paid a wage they can live, which supports them to stay with Edinburgh College and develop their careers. Poverty is a huge concern across our country and our own region, even among people in employment. As a college of further and higher education our aim is to give people a platform to improve their lives; receiving the Living Wage can make a huge difference in enabling people to do this.

”We are committed not only to fair pay for our own staff but also doing everything in our power, through education and training, to help tackle poverty in our communities and ensure a good future for our students.”

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance said: “I am delighted to welcome Edinburgh College to the Living Wage employer movement in Scotland. The real Living Wage is one of the most effective means we have of tackling in-work poverty, and Living Wage accreditation is the mark of a responsible employer.

“With more than half of children in poverty in Scotland living in a household where someone works, paying a real Living Wage that reflects the cost of living has never been more important.

“I congratulate Edinburgh College on their accreditation as a Living Wage employer and I hope more organisations in Scotland will follow their lead by getting in touch with us.”