Member Article

Northumbrian Water accredited as Living Wage employer

Northumbrian Water has been accredited as a Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation, meaning its staff will will now earn at least £7.85 per hour.

The announcement comes at the start of Living Wage Week, a country-wide celebration of companies that have done the right thing and implemented the Living Wage.

Currently the Living Wage pay rise will benefit about 24 workers at the water company which employs more than 3,100 people who all already earn more than the Living Wage.

Everyone aged 18 or over who is employed by Northumbrian Water, including the company’s apprentices, will now receive a minimum hourly wage of £7.85 - significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.70. The company will pay the new Living Wage of £8.25 from April 2016.

Northumbrian Water Group Chief Executive Officer, Heidi Mottram, said: “We are delighted to have made the commitment to the Living Wage standard for now and the future.

“We appreciate that the current economic climate is challenging for people and we feel that making this voluntary commitment fits with our values and our continued aim for Northumbrian Water to be a great place to work - and part of that is making sure all our people receive a fair wage for the important work that they do.”

Northumbrian Water has more than 3,100 full and part time employees working in the north east of England and for it’s southern division, Essex & Suffolk Water.

About two dozen employees, including apprentices, will see the increase in their next pay packet. Pay rates for everyone else are currently already above the living wage rate of £7.85 an hour.

By extending the Living Wage to apprentices, Northumbrian Water is going beyond the minimum requirements of the Living Wage, giving a real boost to people starting out in their careers.

Living Wage Foundation Director, Sarah Vero said: “We are delighted to welcome Northumbrian Water to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.

“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.”