Day: May 9, 2013

Port of Leith Housing Association has committed to setting its basic starting salary level at the national Living Wage standard of £7.45 per hour – 20% above the current minimum wage level set by the UK Government.

The Association has committed to the voluntary scheme run by the Living Wage Foundation in which living wage level is calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy according to the basic cost of living in the UK, with the hourly rate updated annually.

Research has shown that the Living Wage benefits both organisations and individuals. An independent study revealed that more than 80% of employers believe that the Living Wage had enhanced the quality of the work of their staff, while absenteeism had fallen by approximately 25%.

And half of employees felt that the Living Wage had made them more willing to implement changes in their working practices, enabled them to require fewer concessions to effect change and made them more likely to adopt changes more quickly.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “Signing up to the Living Wage scheme is a win-win situation. We firmly believe in being a responsible employer and supporting our staff is a key priority. Signing up the scheme shows that we are committed to each every one of our employees.”