SASH is a Proud Living Wage Employer

SASH is a Proud Living Wage Employer

Aug 4, 2020

SASH is a Proud Living Wage Employer

We’re delighted to announce that we are now an Accredited Living Wage employer. But what does this mean and why is it important to us?

What is the Living Wage?

The Living Wage is a voluntary UK wage rate that businesses and organisations can subscribe to. It is higher than the government’s interpretation of the national living wage.

How did it come about?

In April 2016 the government introduced a higher minimum wage rate for all staff over 25 years of age inspired by the Living Wage campaign – this was named the ‘national living wage’.

Despite the similar names, the government’s national living wage is separate to the Living Wage scheme and is calculated based on its target to reach 66% of median earnings by 2024. The Living Wage campaign, on the other hand, is calculated according to what employees and their families need to live. The Living Wage campaign bases its calculations on the cost of a basket of household goods and services. It is independently calculated on the needs of employees to get by.

Why is it important to SASH?

SASH believes that paying all of its employees a fair wage is the right thing to do. At the heart of SASH is the belief that all young people deserve fair chances in life, so being part of the Living Wage scheme is a perfect fit for us. Just like the vulnerable young people we support, our staff deserve to be treated fairly and given equal opportunities to others.

The benefits of a genuine living wage are great and include employees not having to worry about affording the basics, allowing employees to work a more balanced working week (which in turn frees up time to spend with their families) and allowing employees a chance to save money for the future1.

Another important aspect of the Living Wage campaign is the inclusion of young people aged 18 and above. Only people aged 25 and older are included in the government’s national living wage scheme, whereas the Living Wage scheme covers people from age 18 and over2. We at SASH are passionate about supporting fairer wages for the young people we work to support.

SASH want to lead by example, showing our supported young people that we stand amongst fair employers who champion workers’ well-being. We aim to instill a sense of self-worth and confidence in all our young people – and having the foundations of a respected and well looked after workforce is fundamental to this.

We’re proud to join the community of 6,000 businesses and non-profits that believe a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. You can find out more about the Living Wage scheme here.

References:

1. https://www.livingwage.org.uk/good-for-society
2. https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

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