Farne Salmon has become accredited as a Living Wage employer. Farne Salmon, based in Duns, is the largest private employer in the Scottish Borders and employs over 700 people.
In Scotland, more than 14% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage – around 330,000 jobs. Despite this, Farne Salmon has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
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 and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay.
Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 57,000 people in Scotland and put over £365 million extra into the pockets of low paid Scottish workers.
Rachael Sudlow HR Business Partner at Farne Salmon said:
“Farne Salmon is delighted to have achieved increasing our wages to pay the real Living Wage or more, we feel that this is a representation of our commitment to our employees – during this difficult time.”
Carrie Calder, Manufacturing Associate at Farne Salmon said:
“With the current climate being what it is, Farne achieving the real Living Wage accreditation, is a weight off their employee’s shoulders, knowing with the cost of everything going up our wages are helping us to compete with that”
Robin Tatler Councillor for Tweeddale East, Executive Member for Communities & Equalities and Co-Chair of the Scottish Borders Living Wage Action Group said:
“Scottish Borders Living Wage Group welcomes the news that Farne Salmon is the latest company in the Borders to become an accredited Living Wage Employer. As a significant employer, this will have a real impact on workers and their families, particularly welcome at this challenging time. We hope that the example that Farne has set will encourage more Borders companies – particularly in the food sector – to pay their workers a Living Wage.”
Seonaid Mann, Co-Chair of the Scottish Borders Living Wage Group said:
“Farne Salmon is one of the largest employers in the Scottish Borders, with a workforce of over 700. Their recent Living Wage accreditation is a testament to their commitment to ensuring that their team members are fairly rewarded for the work they do and treated with the respect they deserve. With inflation at its highest level for decades and the cost-of-living crisis escalating by the day, payment of the real Living Wage is more important than ever.”
Christine McCaig, Interim Living Wage Scotland Manager said:
“We’re delighted that Farne Salmon has become an accredited Living Wage employer. They join a growing movement of over 2800 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need.
Our Living Wage employer network includes lots of smaller employers as well as larger and iconic brands like SSE, abrdn, Barrs, Mackie’s of Scotland, & D.C. Thomson. We hope to see many more employers following their example.”