We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to our Living Wage Scotland Awards ceremony 2021.
Held virtually on the 19th of November, this ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate Living Wage accredited employers who went above and beyond in their dedication to the movement.
The ceremony was hosted by Susan Morrison, the fantastic Scottish writer, broadcaster and comedian. We also heard contributions from inspiring speakers, including our keynote speaker Dr Katherine Trebeck, Senior Strategic Advisor for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and a contribution from Richard Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work.
The Judging Panel were very impressed with the high quality of applications and this year’s winners should be very proud of their achievements!
Newcomer of the Year Award – The Larder West Lothian
The Newcomer of the Year Award this year went to The Larder West Lothian whose commitment to the real Living Wage has seen many of their staff receive an uplift in wages as well as ensuring a wage increase for all staff in the business which averaged 16% across the organisation. With almost a third of The Larder’s staff being young people and adults with multiple and complex barriers, it is also important to them that these individuals receive a fair wage to support them in their life journey and beyond.
The judging panel were impressed by the range of actions which The Larder had undertaken to promote their accreditation, including producing a video, gaining pick up on a press release and encouraging other employers to gain accreditation.
Trailblazer Award – Grandview and Mains House
The Trailblazer category winner was Grandview and Mains House who stand out in their industry due to their commitment to the real Living Wage and their active promotion of their accreditation.
The judging panel were impressed with the fact that Grandview and Mains House were the first care home employer in Scotland to achieve accreditation. They felt that this employer epitomises trailblazing within a sector which for too long has been underpaid and undervalued. Grandview and Mains House demonstrate that paying the real Living Wage in care home environments is possible.
Resilience Award – Dundee Science Centre
The third category, the Resilience Award was won by Dundee Science Centre who, at the beginning of the first lockdown, quickly pivoted their services from in-centre, face to face to online learning support. Recognising that families and schools were in real need of learning support, their team worked hard to figure out ways in which they could engage with audiences to support their learning.
As of submitting their application to us 142,387 people had engaged with their on-line Home Learning Programme. This programme was designed so that families could take part in learning together but also so that pupils could complete the learning on their own – giving parents and carers a bit of much needed breathing space.
To ensure their reach was as wide as possible the team engaged with community workers and charitable organisations to support families whose children could not get online, creating Science@Home kits so that these families could take part with no financial burden.
Employee Choice Award – Teclan Ltd
This year’s employee choice award went to Teclan Ltd who were nominated for this award by a member or their staff team.
The judging panel were impressed by Teclan’s decision to pay their staff the real Living Wage and by how this had impacted the employee’s sense of being valued. It was clear from their application that the staff member felt more productive, motivated, and appreciated in their role as a result of their Living Wage accreditation.
Local Champion Award – Moray School Bank
Moray School Bank was chosen as the winner of the Local Champion Award, due to their commitment to both the Living Wage and to making a difference in their local community.
The Judging Panel were inspired by the way in which Moray School Bank are actively promoting the real Living Wage in Moray but also by their efforts to tackle wider issues of poverty in their local area. Moray School bank also played an active part in Challenge Poverty Week, working with other local employers to produce video content focused on tackling low pay.
Outstanding Leadership – ENABLE Scotland
The Outstanding Leadership Award was given to ENABLE Scotland for the range of ways in which they have used their platform and connections to speak publicly and prominently about the need for the real Living Wage in social care.
This includes their involvement in campaigning for the real Living Wage for sleepover shifts and Andy Kerr’s chairing of the Scottish Government’s Fair Work in Social Care Implementation Group and of course his membership of the Living Wage Scotland leadership group since 2020.
Outstanding Contribution Award – Sandy MacDonald
Our final award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Living Wage movement was given to Sandy MacDonald who is the Head of Policy and Communications at Scottish Financial Enterprise. Both in his current role, and in his previous role as the Head of Global Sustainability at abrdn, Sandy has been at the forefront of collaborative projects that have benefitted our work, including arranging funding and supporting events and promotional activities.
Sandy has also offered insight, advice and strategic direction for our work in his role as Leadership Group Chair and has helped expand Living Wage Places projects in Eildon and Edinburgh.