Christian Aid has joined the ranks of living wage employers and announced that it has been accredited by the Living Wage Foundation to hold itself accountable.
The international development charity has committed to paying its 536 UK employees, third-party contractors and suppliers, a minimum hourly wage of £7.85.
The national minimum wage currently stands at £6.50.
Martin Kyndt, director of strategy and people management at Christian Aid, said: “In our work to eradicate poverty and social injustice we strive to ensure all people are given an opportunity to earn a living wage. Accordingly, we have a responsibility to ensure all our UK-based staff, and others who work with us, are fairly rewarded.
“Gaining the living wage accreditation means that we hold ourselves accountable, ensuring salaries reflect our commitment to fairness. We hope other employers will be inspired to join the scheme.”
The rate is calculated annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University and the London rate by the Greater London Authority. It is based on a combination of basic living costs and income distribution.
Living Wage Foundation director, Rhys Moore said: “We are delighted to welcome Christian Aid to the living wage movement as an accredited employer.
“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the living wage now because it is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.
“We have accredited over 1,100 leading employers, including Christian Aid, ranging from independent printers, bookshops and breweries, to well-known companies. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers and communities expect better than that."
A quarter of charities in the Charity 100 Index currently pay the living wage although only ten are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation. They include Save the Children, Tearfund, ActionAid, Plan International UK and Comic Relief.
Last year Civil Society News looked at which big charities were and were not paying the living wage and why. Click here to read.
