Living Wage campaign: firms pledge support (From The Argus)
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Living Wage campaign: firms pledge support
4:37pm Wednesday 12th December 2012 in Business News
Signing up to Brighton and Hove Living Wage campaign
Businesses have given the thumbs-up to the Living Wage campaign.
Firms across Brighton & Hove have pledged their commitment to paying staff a fair wage.
These include the Community & Voluntary Sector Forum, Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion, Sussex Police, Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove Bus Company and ABC Translations.
Members can display the campaign logo to show they support the campaign.
The Living Wage looks at the basic cost of living in Brighton.
The minimum wage is currently £6.19, but according to the Chamber of Commerce, which is the driving force behind the local scheme, the cost of living is far higher and it is pushing for all employees to receive at least £7.20 per hour, or £14,000 per year.
The campaign does not require interns and sub-contracted staff to be paid the Living Wage, although it recommends that it is good practice.
Brighton company, Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI), in Isetta Square,recognised this and recruited their graduate intern on the Living Wage.
Career opportunities
OCSI intern, Yasmine Fahmy, said: “As a recent graduate, I have faced the difficulties of not only finding suitable employment, but in finding a job that pays.
“I believe the Living Wage scheme is of great importance, providing people with the opportunity to pursue a career that they are interested in, while supporting themselves in the process.”
Roger French from the Brighton & Hove Bus Company in Conway Road, Hove, is supporting the campaign.
He said: “We’re pleased to sign up because if we truly want this city to be sustainable in every way, employers need to play their part in providing living and sustainable wages for employees who live and work in the city and contribute themselves to the local economy.”
Julia Chanteray, president of Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re delighted that the first batch of firms has shown their commitment to paying the Living Wage.
“Over the coming months, we will be signing up hundreds more Brighton and Hove businesses.”
For more information, visit:www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/the-brighton-and-hove-living-wage-campaign.
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kapple999 says...
8:39pm Sat 15 Dec 12
Contrary to some reports in the Argus, the National Living Wage outside London is £7.45 an hour; whilst some Businesses in Brighton & Hove are resisting introducing a rate 25p less than that.
Fiveways Playcentre entry-level salary is 45p more than the National Living Wage, and Qualified Keyworkers are paid £1 more than the Living Wage, only 10p behind the Living Wage for London (£8.45), as we recognise that in many ways Brighton can be just as expensive as parts of London.