One in five children are living in poverty in Aberdeen. It’s a statistic that shocks many who live here – and with national figures showing over two-thirds of those children live in a household where at least one adult is in work, it lays bare the stark issue of in-work poverty. If work is not a route out of poverty, then what is? While there are a range of actions needed to tackle poverty, an important action employers can take is to consider Living Wage accreditation.
There’s no doubt the past few decades have been generally buoyant for the north east economy, but it should be remembered that not everyone has benefitted, and poverty often remains hidden.
The Aberdeen Living Wage Action Group is a collective of employers from across the public, private and third sectors who have come together to deliver an action plan to promote the benefits of the real Living Wage and help reduce in-work poverty in Aberdeen – with ambitions to expand into Aberdeenshire.
In the 10 years since Living Wage Scotland was launched, over 3750 employers across the country have gained Living Wage accreditation, uplifting more than 68,000 workers to the real Living Wage, amounting to almost £600 million of extra wages in the pockets of low paid workers.
It’s the people who clean our offices, who prepare and deliver our lunch, who look after our children whilst we’re at work, the security staff who keep us safe and those who care for the most vulnerable in society. Ensuring they have enough to cover their costs, but also provide a better quality of life to ensure everyone prospers.
Whilst many struggle with the cost of living, the Action Group are also aware of the challenges facing employers in an increasingly uncertain business environment, but there are benefits that come with paying the real Living Wage.
Andrew Alleway, Managing Director of Tidy Green Clean explained:
“If you’re considering it, I’d 100% recommend jumping on board. The benefits—better staff retention, improved welfare, increased commitment, reduced absenteeism, and a greater sense of value among your team—are invaluable. The cost of training new staff far exceeds the effort of retaining the ones you have”.
Tony Whittaker, Talent Manager at newly accredited employer Katoni Engineering, explained why they did so:
“We’ve a duty at Katoni to help people find a balance in life to help them perform at work. We’re not selfless because happy people give everything to us and that delivers great customer service. You cannot be happy if you are worrying about paying bills, whether you can eat, or keeping a roof over your head. Signing up to the real Living Wage is one of the best things we could do for our workforce but also as the absolute minimum anyone joining should expect”.
For more information on the benefits of becoming an accredited Living Wage employer, contact rachel.morrison-mccormick@livingwagescotland.co.uk
If you’re already an accredited employer and want to help the Action Group, please contact martin.barry@scotent.co.uk
This article was initially published by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce in their monthly business bulletin.