Houses of Parliament commits to paying all staff living wage

 
Living wage: the Houses of Parliament will pay all staff the London Living Wage (Picture: PA)
Alexandra Rucki30 June 2014
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The Houses of Parliament has committed to pay their employees the London Living wage of £8.80 an hour.

More than 2,200 staff and contractors will be paid the rate, which is well above the national minimum wage of £6.31.

The living wage is calculated to be the amount of pay per hour a worker needs for the essentials of life. It is set at £7.65 outside of London.

Speaker John Bercow said: "I am thrilled to receive this accreditation on behalf of the House of Commons, which has already resulted in all of our staff and contractors being paid at least £8.80 per hour.

“It is my hope that Parliament will be an exemplar of excellent employment practice and that where the House of Commons leads others will follow."

Baroness D'Souza, Lord Speaker, said: "I'm delighted the House of Lords is one of the growing number who have taken the step of becoming Living Wage employers.

“The Houses of Parliament are iconic institutions which have at their core the aim of improving the lives of the UK's citizens. One way of making a direct improvement, much closer to home, is by recognising the hard work and dedication of our staff, and signing up to the Living Wage promise."

Living Wage Foundation director Rhys Moore said: “The accreditation of such a symbolic employer demonstrates that the Living Wage is a well-regarded concept that combines business benefits with a moral obligation to reward a hard day's work with a fair day's pay.

“The Living Wage Foundation believes that work should be the surest way out of poverty, and the leadership the Houses of Parliament have shown will, we hope, encourage others to consider how they support low-paid employees."

Food giant Nestle also announced today they will pay their entire UK workforce the living wage.

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