Premium bakery and confectionery ingredients supplier R&W Scott has become the latest accredited Living Hours employer in Scotland. The Carluke-based company are the first food manufacturer in the UK to make this commitment.
The Living Hours accreditation requires employers to pay the real Living Wage (£9.90/hr) to all their employees over the age of 18 and commit to providing at least four weeks’ notice for every shift, with guaranteed payment if shifts are cancelled within this notice period.
Living Hours employers also provide a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours every week (unless the worker requests otherwise), and a contract that accurately reflects hours worked.
R&W Scott has been an accredited Living Wage employer since May 2019. This announcement of their commitment to Living Hours further demonstrates the importance they place on setting standards for fair work.
Research published last year by the Living Wage Foundation showed that 11% of workers in Scotland are in insecure work and paid below the Living Wage. This is approximately 300,000 workers. The Living Hours standard was created to ensure that people have predictable working patterns and income, enabling them to better plan their lives.
In July 2021 Living Wage Scotland began delivering the Living Hours accreditation programme to increase the number of Scottish employers recognised for offering Living Hours alongside a real Living Wage. R&W Scott is the 14th employer to benefit from the scheme which is delivered through the Living Wage Scotland programme at the Poverty Alliance and is funded by the Scottish Government.
Stephen Currie, Managing Director, R&W Scott commented:
“We are absolutely delighted to demonstrate our credentials as a fair and responsible employer by being the first UK food manufacturer to gain Living Hours accreditation. It is especially important during these challenging times to be able to support our employees in every way we can.”
Richard Lochhead MSP, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work said:
“R&W Scott are already committed to fair work through paying the real Living Wage and it is great to see the company building on this by achieving accreditation as a Living Hours employer. This gives their employees security of hours and pay, which is even more important in these challenging times.
The Scottish Government introduced the Living Hours Accreditation Scheme to recognise that, along with payment of the real Living Wage, the number and frequency of hours worked are also critical to tackling in-work poverty.”
Christine McCaig from Living Wage Scotland said:
“There are over 2700 Scottish-based employers that are committed to paying at least the real Living Wage, and it’s fantastic to see R&W Scott take further steps to protect their workers from low pay and insecure work by becoming Living Hours accredited.
The values that led them to commit to the real Living Wage are the same values that have led to their expanded commitment to fair work at a time when workers need it most.”