Celebrating 20 years of the Living Wage Foundation!

This week, 15th – 21st November, Catsurveys are celebrating Living Wage Week, the annual celebration of the Living Wage movement. This year is extra special as we also celebrate 20 years of the Living Wage movement.

The new rates were announced on Monday, and the Living Wage has risen to £9.90 as the cost of living rises. This increase will have a significant impact on the UK’s employee’s quality of life.

“With living costs rising so rapidly, today’s new Living Wage rates will provide hundreds of thousands of workers and their families with greater security and stability. For the past 20 years the Living Wage movement has shaped the debate on low pay, showing what is possible when responsible employers step up and provide a wage that delivers dignity. Despite this, there are still millions trapped in working poverty, struggling to keep their heads above water – and these are people working in jobs that kept society going during the pandemic like social care workers and cleaners. We know that the Living Wage is good for businesses as well as workers, and as we rebuild our economy post pandemic, the real Living Wage must be at its heart.” Katherine Chapman, Living Wage Foundation Director

The real Living Wage

Back in 2014, the Catsurveys Board committed to become part of the Living Wage Foundation, whereby every employee is provided with a salary that exceeds the National Minimum Wage. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis - it provides an ethical benchmark for responsible pay.

The real Living Wage is independently calculated based on what employees and their families need to live. This is why it’s higher than the government minimum wage, rebranded as the ‘National Living Wage’.

We believe that our employees are our most important assets, and they deserve to be rewarded with a level of pay that gives them a better standard of living. Since committing to the Living Wage Foundation accreditation, we have noticed a great increase in staff morale which has benefitted not only our team, but the business too!

The history of the real Living Wage

The campaign for a Living Wage was launched by members of London Citizens in 2001. Parents in East London found that despite working on two or more minimum wage jobs they were struggling to make ends meet, and were left with no time for community and family life.

The campaign for a real Living Wage has now delivered more than £1.5billion in extra wages to workers since it began in 2001. The movement has lifted over 260,000 people out of in-work poverty.