Gretna Green has today become accredited as a Living Wage employer. The Living Wage commitment sees everyone working at the world-famous wedding, tourism and hospitality business receive a minimum hourly wage of £11.00 per hour – in line with the UK Living Wage requirement of £10.90 per hour. This rate is higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.
In Scotland, 91% of all jobs pay at least the real Living Wage, this is higher than any other UK nation. Despite this, nearly 1 in 10 jobs still pay less than the real Living Wage which equates to 221,000 jobs.
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 60,000 people in Scotland and put over £370 million extra into the pockets of low-paid Scottish workers.
Isabel Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer of Gretna Green said:
“This is an extremely proud moment for the business becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer. Recognising the fantastic contribution our colleagues make in the business, in April this year, we moved our base rate of pay to £11.00 per hour for all employees aged 18 and above, joining the growing movement of employers in Scotland who put their people first.”
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 Gretna Green on their Living Wage commitment, and I hope more organisations follow their lead by becoming Living Wage accredited.”
Lynn Anderson, Living Wage Scotland Manager said:
“We’re delighted that Gretna Green has become an accredited Living Wage employer. They join a growing movement of over 3000 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need.
Our Living Wage employer network includes well-known organisations such as SSE plc, ENABLE Scotland and the University of Strathclyde as well as lots of smaller employers and we hope to see many more follow their example.”