Engaging Communities Solutions (ECS) are excited to celebrate Living Wage Week 2020 with the entire movement.

Living wage week takes place from 9 November to 15 November 2020 and is the annual celebration of the Living Wage movement in the UK.

ECS has been an accredited real Living Wage employer for a number of years now. The real Living Wage is an independently set hourly rate of pay, calculated according to the basic costs of living. It is currently set at £9.50 an hour for employees across the UK. It is updated annually, and employers pay it on a voluntary basis.

The Living Wage Foundation announces living wage rates in the first week of November each year and the ECS is committed to implementing that rate in common with other voluntary living wage employers.

The new rates apply to workers over 18 years of age from (9 November) – the first day of the foundation’s Living Wage Week.

Living Wage Foundation director Laura Gardiner said: “It’s an incredibly challenging time for us all, but today’s new Living Wage rates will give a boost to hundreds of thousands of UK workers, including thousands of key and essential workers like cleaners, care workers, and delivery drivers who have kept our economy going”.

She added, “Since the start of the pandemic employers has continued to sign up to a real Living Wage. During Living Wage Week it’s right that we celebrate those employers that have done right by workers and families, providing them with much-needed security and stability even when times are hard. These are the employers that will allow us to recover and rebuild from this crisis.”

Elizabeth Learoyd, Managing Director of ECS said: “While we have always paid our employees above the living wage as standard, it’s brilliant to make a formal commitment and be recognised for paying above and beyond what we believe is a fairer minimum than the National minimum wage. Beyond our own staff, we also have a plan in place to maximise the commitment to the Living Wage across the Contractors we use. By becoming an accredited real living wage employer, it is the right thing to do by our staff and it will benefit the wider community as well.”

Elizabeth added “ECS success so far is down to the quality and expertise of our colleagues. We firmly believe that paying the Living Wage is the right thing to do as a responsible employer. It will help us to attract and retain the best people, supporting them in building a rewarding career at ECS.

Why not visit https://www.weareecs.co.uk/employee page to find out some of the benefits our employees enjoy.