Our Living Wage commitment demonstrates that we value the great work all our staff do on an everyday basis. This means that all staff will receive a minimum hourly wage of £12.60, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 21s, which currently stands at £12.21 per hour. In fact the majority of our staff are on the JNC pay scale in recognition of their professional qualifications and experience.

The YWU based here in Yorkshire and the Humber, a region where 18% of jobs are low paid, with over 410,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. We wanted to ensure that current and future staff see that we are serious about supporting a decent standard of living for all their workers.

The Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage remains the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on the cost of living, rising annually based on living costs. It gives employers the confidence they are paying a wage that meets everyday needs, not just the government minimum. Over 16,000 accredited employers have secured over £3.85 billion of pay rises for low paid workers since 2011 and made a profound difference to millions of lives around the UK.