Timber window and door manufacturer Allan Brothers has become one of the first manufacturing businesses in Northumberland to pledge to pay its 87 workers the Real Living Wage at its factory in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary benchmark, which is set by the Living Wage Foundation according to the ‘real’ cost of living rather than the Government’s lower rate.
This means that all Allan Brothers employees will be guaranteed a minimum income of £12.00 an hour which, based on a 38-hour week, equates to £23,712 a year.
The Government’s National Living Wage is currently set at £11.44 an hour, based on the same working week, which would equate to £22,605 per year and for 18 to 20-year-olds £8.60 per hour which would be £16,993 a year.
Managing director Morten Bach Valsted said: “We’re proud to be an accredited Real Living Wage Employer. We appreciate that the cost-of-living crisis is causing a great deal of hardship for many people, so we wanted to make sure that our employees are better rewarded for their hard work.”
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Allan Brothers is joining our movement of over 14,000 responsible employers across the UK, who have committed to pay all their workers the only wage rate based on what people actually need to live.
“Research shows that if just a quarter of low-paid workers were uplifted to the Real Living Wage, regions across the UK like the North East would see increases in productivity and a significant economic boost.”
