WHAT IS THE LIVING WAGE?
Launched in 2012, the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign aims to encourage local businesses to voluntarily pay all employees a decent hourly rate.
Set independently and updated annually the Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK and is the amount that allows a person to live, rather than just survive. The new rate is announced every November during Living Wage week and businesses are given until 1st April to implement the new rate which is currently £8.75 per hour
Our aim is to support and encourage local businesses to voluntarily commit to paying their employees the Living Wage. If you are already paying the Living Wage you can sign up here to show your business’ commitment and then display a Brighton & Hove Living Wage logo on your premises, marketing materials and website. See here who has signed up already.
If you are not paying the Living Wage but would like to join the 419 businesses that currently do, please contact us here for advice and support.
HOW THE BRIGHTON AND HOVE CAMPAIGN CAME ABOUT
In October 2011 Councillor Bill Randall formed the Brighton and Hove Living Wage Commission, chaired by Julia Chanteray, the President of the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce.
The Commission met for six months, examining how paying the Living Wage could potentially affect local businesses and employees and how it might alleviate poverty in the city.
In February 2012, Brighton Chamber held a Big Debate to enable the city’s businesses to voice their views directly and, when it came to the vote, the Living Wage received an overwhelming business endorsement.
In April 2012, the city’s Living Wage Commission announced that a business-led, two-year campaign for a Living Wage would be spearheaded by Brighton Chamber, with the goal of making Brighton and Hove a great example of how the Living Wage can become the normal and accepted minimum level of payment for all employers in the city.
We are encouraging local businesses to voluntarily commit to paying their employees the Living Wage. Businesses can sign up to show their commitment and can then display a Brighton & Hove Living Wage logo on their premises or marketing material.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Paying the Living Wage to employees has been shown to have a number of benefits for companies across the country, including:
Significantly lower rates of staff turnover
Substantial cost savings on recruitment and induction training
Reduced absence and sickness levels
Increased morale and higher productivity
We believe that paying the Living Wage will increase productivity, profile and profitability, and your business will also benefit from the positive marketing around the campaign.
Sign up now – it’s free and will take only a couple of minutes.
Need more information? See our case studies page for more information on the business case for the Living Wage. This information will expand as we continue to ask local businesses and employees directly about the effects of paying a Living Wage. There are FAQs below and if you have any more questions, please contact us on 01273 719097 or email campaigns@businessinbrighton.org.uk.