Greater Manchester has over 100 Living Wage employers

Greater Manchester celebrates having over 100 Living Wage Employers

Greater Manchester is now home to over 100 accredited Living Wage Employers, who pay the full Living Wage rate of £8.25 per hour or above to all of their staff.

Greater Manchester is the first city region in the country outside London to reach this milestone.

Rochdale has four accredited Living Wage Employers, which puts it ahead of Bolton, Bury, Oldham and Stockport, and level with Trafford. Those four employers are Burgaflex UK Ltd, E R Williams (Painting Contractors) Limited, Rochdale Online and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. 

Tom Skinner, Coordinator of the Greater Manchester Living Wage Campaign said: "When this campaign launched two and a half years ago, there were only 16 Living Wage employers across the whole of Greater Manchester. What's more, in-work poverty was not widely discussed or understood as a major concern for the region. We set out to change that, and today we celebrate having 103 Living Wage Employers.

"We have shown that Greater Manchester can go one better than the Government's National Living Wage" of £7.20/hr, which isn't a living wage because it's not based on the cost of living, but this is only the start – we want to make Greater Manchester a Living Wage Zone, to put Living Wage policy and a culture of social equality at the heart of how Greater Manchester works. There are still many people in work who struggle to get by, so there's a lot more work to be done."

Greater Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd said: “Without the Living Wage, people can find themselves in work, yet still in poverty. This is scandalous and counter-productive. The Living Wage helps people to live their lives, realise their aspirations, and contribute fully to their local communities and the economy, which benefits us all – including businesses.

“If Greater Manchester is to flourish and thrive, we must provide the incentive, opportunities and skills that will enable local people to support themselves and their families. I urge more local employers to look at the benefits of providing a Living Wage and help Greater Manchester establish itself as a place that truly values the people that live and work here; that sees employees as assets to be nurtured and protected, not just an expenditure that must be offset against profits.”

Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation said: “I am so excited to see that more and more Greater Manchester employers are becoming proud adopters of the voluntary Living Wage. It’s great that we have such a diverse group of employers both large and small ranging from The Co-operative Bank to Bradley's Bakery showing their belief that a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. This is the best route to fighting the in-work poverty that so many people in Greater Manchester struggle with.”