Belfast City Council has become the first council in Northern Ireland to become an accredited Living Wage Employer.
To become accredited, a council has to pay its employees the Foundation Living Wage as well as ensuring any regularly contracted workers are paid the living wage hourly rate.
The UK Living Wage is currently £10.90 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £11.95 per hour to reflect the higher costs of transport, childcare and housing in the capital.
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These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards across the UK.
Katherine Chapman, Director of Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Belfast City Council has joined the movement of nearly 12,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as the City of Edinburgh Council, the Greater London Authority and the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. These organisations recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Belfast City Council, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."
Councillor Mal O’Hara, chair of Belfast City Council’s Social Policy Working Group, said: “The council has long been committed to becoming a Living Wage Employer, so this accreditation marks an important milestone in that journey.
“It also acknowledges our commitment, through our Social Value Procurement Policy, to set a timeline by which all third party contractors must pay their employees the Real Living Wage. It is a significant positive step towards our inclusive growth ambitions, as outlined in the Belfast Agenda, the city’s community plan.
"Given that we are working with multiple contractors to deliver major investment projects across the city, this policy will have a substantial impact and bring positive benefits for our city’s workforce.
“The accreditation comes at a time when we are all feeling the impact of rising energy bills and the cost of living, so this issue has never been more important. It demonstrates our commitment to showing civic leadership on this issue, and I hope it sends a signal to other employers and organisations and encourages them to adopt a similar approach.”
The Living Wage Foundation states the 'real' Living Wage is the "only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet" and provides a voluntary benchmark for employers.
In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage.’ It was introduced in April 2016, originally applying for all workers over the age of 25, is currently £9.50 an hour and applies for workers over the age of 23.
The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rates are calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK.
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