A major hotel and restaurant operator in North Wales has become a ‘Living Wage Employer’ - meaning its minimum hourly wage is now nearly £1 over the statutory rate.
The commitment by Snowdonia Hospitality Ltd will see everyone working at The Royal Oak Hotel, The Waterloo Hotel, Stables Lodge and Y Stablau in Betws-y-Coed receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.90. The UK Government minimum for over 23s currently stands at £8.91 per hour.
The Living Wage Foundation said in North Wales almost a fifth of all workers (17.9%) earn less than they need to get by, with around 223,000 jobs paying less than the Real Living Wage. The Real Living Wage is calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum.
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Tourism and hospitality have traditionally been lower than average paying sectors and there is a push among businesses, trade organisations and governments to raise salaries and encourage more people to seek long term careers in these industries.
Glenn Evans, managing director at Snowdonia Hospitality, said: “We’ve always valued the contribution that our team bring to the business. We felt the time was right to formalise this commitment and encourage other businesses around us to follow suit.
“Tourism and hospitality in Wales is a thriving and dynamic industry offering the perfect opportunity for those living around us to live and work within the communities they were raised. By becoming a Real Living Wage employer, we are looking to build upon this relationship whilst enabling a career in hospitality to that of choice.”
Katherine Chapman, director, Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Snowdonia Hospitality & Leisure Ltd has joined the movement of almost 9,000 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 household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more.
“These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Snowdonia Hospitality & Leisure Ltd, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 300,000 people and put over £1.6 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
