Living Wage week marked by local employers

Richard Limb (E.R. Williams site foreman), Emma Cottam (E.R. Williams Office Administrator), Lindsay Williams (E.R. Williams Office Manager), Clare Tostevin (RBH Director of Communities), Bill Williams (E.R. Williams Contracts Manager) and Mandy Lawrence (RBH elected Employee Representative).

RBH and E.R. Williams (Painting Contractors), came together on site in Syke to mark the end of Living Wage Week 2014.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate, currently £7.85, set independently and updated annually, based on the cost living in the UK. The Living Wage campaign has been running for ten years and has lifted over 45,000 people out of poverty.

RBH and E.R. Williams  share a productive local partnership, with E.R. Williams employees working to improve RBH homes across the borough.

Gareth Swarbrick, RBH Chief Executive, said: "As the first tenant and employee co-owned mutual housing society, it is important that we keep to our values.

"Paying the Living Wage brings significant benefits not only to RBH and our employees but also for our tenants and the communities we serve.

"We are also committed to supporting local people and businesses where we can, and we're delighted to continue to work with our fellow Living Wage employer, E.R. Williams."

Lindsay Williams, E R Williams Office Manager, said: “Paying the Living Wage shows our commitment to our loyal workforce. It promotes good business practice and demonstrates that we are an ethical employer. We hope to inspire other local businesses to adopt similar values.”

A recent independent study of the business benefits of implementing a Living Wage policy found that more than 80% of employers believe that the Living Wage had enhanced the quality of the work of their employees. 66% of employers reported a significant impact on recruitment and retention within their organisation, and 70% of employers felt that the Living Wage had increased consumer awareness of their organisation’s commitment to be an ethical employer.