ONE of Scotland’s leading health and social care charities has become accredited as a living wage employer, ensuring that more than 1000 workers now receive at least £8.75 an hour.
Quarriers’ commitment has been welcomed by the Unison union as a “huge step’ for the sector.
“They are leading the way in terms of the larger charities that Unison works with and we are keen to see this continue whilst calling on others to follow suit,” said Deborah Clarke of Unison.
“My message to Unison members is that this announcement means that they can be assured of Quarriers’ commitment to paying them a fair wage for the work that they do, both today and in the coming years.”
The move will see everyone working at the charity, regardless of whether they are direct employees or third-party contracted staff, receive the real living wage which is significantly higher than the statutory minimum for over 25s of £7.83 per hour introduced last
April. The real living wage is calculated according to the real costs of living and is updated annually. Quarriers’ chief executive officer Alice Harper said the charity had signed up for living wage accreditation because it recognised the importance of its staff.
“At Quarriers our staff are at the centre of everything we do and contribute daily to the high quality outcomes provided for all those we support and work with,” she said.
“We understand the importance of our staff as they are responsible for driving our values and breathing life into our vision and genuinely transforming the lives of the people we support. We know from speaking to our staff that salaries will always be important and we are delighted to strive towards being an employer of choice paying not only the real living wage, but in excess of the current real living wage.”
Quarriers’ support worker Peter O’Neill said: “I am really pleased that Quarriers support their employees as well as the people we support and I am delighted that Quarriers has signed up to the real living wage,” he said.
The accreditation was also welcomed by Derek Mackay MSP for Renfrewshire North and West. “As an important employer who plays an important role in my constituency, it was fantastic news to hear Quarriers is now an accredited living wage employer,” he said.
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