ONE of the first third sector organisations in Scotland to sign up to the Living Wage Pledge in 2014 is keen for others to follow its example.
West Dunbartonshire Community and Volunteering Services (WDCVS) believes paying the living wage brings great benefits even though this is a financially challenging time for charities.
The organisation currently employs a team of nine staff providing a range of support services to help develop volunteering and community action across the local authority area.
“The third sector has always been a strong advocate of positive working conditions for staff, so signing up to the Living Wage Pledge seemed a natural step for us to take,” explained trustee and treasurer of the charity, John McCutcheon.
“We believe that paying the living wage is an important part of our commitment to our staff team — now and in the future. We are very much a people focused organisation and engage with individuals and community groups on a daily basis so having the right staff is important to us and to our business reputation. Our support is only ever going to be as good as our people so we want to make sure that we can offer a strong package of support to ensure we can recruit the people we need.”
As part of its commitment to helping people develop, WDCVS has been a strong supporter of the Community Jobs Scotland scheme which offers unemployed Scots the chance to have a paid six month work placement. The organisation has welcomed seven trainees under the scheme, all paid the living wage.
“Engaging with Community Jobs Scotland has been an important partnership for us and we have always been focused on making the placements we offer the best experience we can. Paying the living wage is just part of that commitment,” added McCutcheon.
Beyond its own operation, WDCVS is keen to spread the word of the benefits of the living wage across the third sector organisations in the area who employ staff. There are over 150 organisations that fit the bill and McCutcheon points out that if they all paid at least the living wage then hundreds of employees would benefit.
“The third sector is an important employer in West Dunbartonshire, engaging over 1000 staff and we are keen to help support everyone to consider the benefits of signing up to be Living Wage Employers,” he said.
“It’s a challenging time for charities and third sector organisations but our people are our most important asset — without them the sector could not provide the vital range of services on which many vulnerable members of our community rely.
“We believe the living wage is an important way of recognising that and we are committed to playing our part to spread the word. In talking to local third sector employers on a daily basis we know that more and more are signing up now and we are delighted.”
Since it was launched in April 2014, more than 800 organisations in Scotland have signed up to the scheme to become accredited as official living wage employers, giving their workers at least £8.45 per hour.
Employers choose to pay the living wage on a voluntary basis, while the National Minimum Wage is statutory and enforced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Last month, Gorgie City Farm became the 800th organisation in Scotland to be accredited as a Living Wage Employer.
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