Member Article

Yorkshire energy firm Switch2 leads way on fair pay

Saltaire community energy firm Switch2 Energy is leading the way on fair pay after being approved as a Living Wage employer.

The company, which employs 130 people at its Yorkshire headquarters and its central London office, is one of the first SMEs in Yorkshire to become an accredited Living Wage employer.

By volunteering to pay the Living Wage, all of Switch2’s employees, including permanent and contract staff will receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.25 (£9.40 in London). This is significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.70 and the new minimum wage premium for over 25s of £7.20 per hour.

Kirsty Lambert, Director of Switch2 said: “We have committed to the Living Wage because we think that our people deserve to be paid fairly for their commitment, loyalty and hard work. It’s our duty as a responsible employer to ensure that wages are in line with the actual cost of living, and we are proud to gain accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.”

She continued: “We have been in business for more than 30 years. Our people are the foundation of our business and we believe in looking after them so that they stay and grow with us. We also provide staff with a range of benefits, including private health and dental care, life assurance and an option to sacrifice pay for extra holiday.”

Living Wage Foundation Director, Katherine Chapman said: “We are delighted to welcome Switch2 Energy Limited 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.”

Switch2 specialises in metering and billing for the community heating sector and is a fast growing business with its manufacturing operation and national headquarters and service centre based at the Waterfront, next to Salts Mill.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK.

Further information: www.switch2.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Switch2 Energy Ltd .