Call-In Homecare has today been accredited as a real Living Wage employer. The Living Wage commitment will see all Care Assistants working at Call-In Homecare receive over a minimum hourly wage of £9.90. Call-In Homecare is one of the top Care at Home providers across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Falkirk and Dundee. This rate is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £8.91 per hour.
In Scotland, more than 14% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage – around 330,000 jobs. Despite this, Call-In Homecare has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for their Care Assistants’ hard day’s work.
Call-In Homecare is a major employer in both Edinburgh and Dundee. In 2019, Dundee became the first place in the UK to achieve recognition for their ambitious plan to become a Living Wage City, a place-based approach to driving uptake of the real Living Wage by local businesses. In November 2021, as part of Living Wage Week, the Edinburgh Living Wage Action Group announced its intention to ‘Make Edinburgh a Living Wage City’, working to double the number of Living Wage accredited businesses Scotland’s capital. Today’s announcement strengthens the ambition of both cities’ action groups.
Cllr Kate Campbell, Living Wage City Action Group co-chair and Fair Work Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s encouraging to have a major employer, like Call-in Homecare, take this vital step and commit to its workforce. I hope this will be a catalyst for more in the sector to get accredited, showing the value they place on their staff. The benefit for employers is that they are more likely to retain skilled staff and attract new ones – something that we know many businesses are finding difficult at the moment. The benefit for us all is a fairer city.”
Christine McCaig, Projects Coordinator, Living Wage Scotland said: “We’re delighted to welcome Call-In Homecare to our growing movement of over 2400 Living Wage accredited employers in Scotland. This accreditation is a significant and welcome addition to the City of Edinburgh and strengthens efforts to tackle in-work poverty in Scotland’s capital, ‘Making Edinburgh a Living Wage City’. We look forward to working with more Edinburgh based employers in the coming months.”
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 52,000 people in Scotland and put over £310 million extra into the pockets of low paid Scottish workers.
Annette Wilson, Operations Director of Call-In Homecare stated: “Call-In Homecare are delighted to announce our commitment as a real Living Wage employer. Our brilliant Care Assistants are the driving force of our company and a true testament to people being at the heart of our business. The social value of the communities we operate in is fundamental to our operational decision making.”
“We fully support making Edinburgh and Dundee Living Wage cities, and actively encourage other care companies to pledge this commitment.”
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance said: “We all need an income that is enough to cover our needs and protect us from poverty, and it’s only right that employers pay a wage that reflects the cost of living. Too many workers in Scotland are paid less than the real Living Wage and, at a time of rising costs, are struggling to stay afloat. The real Living Wage can offer protection from those rising costs.”
“Congratulations to Call-In Homecare on their Living Wage commitment, and I hope more organisations follow their lead by becoming Living Wage accredited.”