SSE is playing its part in ensuring that the Living Wage is paid to as many workers in the UK as possible.
It recently unveiled plans to extend the measure to all contracted employees working at its sites. SSE is currently the only energy company paying its employees the Living Wage, and is now rolling it out across its £2bn-a-year supply chain.
The Living Wage Commission has today urged the UK Government to cut the number of low paid workers by one million by 2020. Its Chairman, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, says the government should pay its own workers a ‘living wage.’
The commission's research shows that there are currently 712 employers across the UK accredited as paying a living wage - including SSE.
Dr Sentamu recently wrote to SSE as, ‘a responsible employer, already paying the Living Wage.’ He urged the company to, ‘continue to partner with others who are accredited as Living Wage employers.’
Last September SSE became one of the biggest Living Wage employers in the UK, and remains the only major UK energy supplier to be Living Wage accredited.
SSE guarantees its entire staff are paid at least £7.65 an hour, with the only exception being apprentices, in line with the guidance set by the Living Wage Foundation. This is an hourly rate above the national minimum wage which experts believe meets costs of housing, bills, food and work travel.
SSE also ensures that any contracted employee who works regularly on one of its sites is also paid at least the Living Wage. Every service or works contract tendered now includes an obligation for the contractor to pay at least the Living Wage.
SSE is also playing a leading role in the work of the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Project. The group is backed by the Scottish Government and wants to see more companies become officially accredited payers of the Living Wage.
Rachel McEwen, Head of Sustainability at SSE, said: “For SSE, being a Living Wage employer is about doing the right thing for people who work for us. That's good for our employees and it is good for business too.
“But just as importantly, it is a symbol of the type of company we want to be: being responsible in all that we do in order to make a difference to people's lives.”
The UK living wage rate currently stands at £7.65 an hour, and the London living wage is set at a higher rate of £8.80 per hour, to take account of the higher cost of living. By contrast, the national minimum wage currently stands at £6.31 an hour.
To see how SSE employees are benefiting from the Living Wage visit: /newsandviews/allarticles/2013/11/making-a-difference-to-sse-employees/
Or, if you would like to know more about the Living Wage please email our Living Wage Team at living.wage@sse.com.