EDGE Services Receives Living Wage Accreditation

Friday, 24th April 2015

We are pleased to announce that we have recently been accredited as a Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation, an initiative of Citizens UK who believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty.

This accreditation ensures that everyone working at EDGE Services, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers; receive a minimum hourly wage of £7.85 - significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate, set independently and updated annually and is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.

Speaking about the accreditation Andrew Lovett Director of EDGE Services said “We are very proud to put our name behind the campaign for a living wage. At a time when millions are struggling to make ends meet, we believe it is the moral duty of every employer in the UK to ensure that all their staff are remunerated at least to this standard."

Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis and it enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK of which there are over 1,200 accredited employers.

Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore said: “We are delighted to welcome EDGE Services to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer. The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay”.

“We have accredited over 1,000 leading employers, including EDGE Services, ranging from independent printers, bookshops and breweries, to well-known companies such as Nationwide, Aviva and SSE. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that."