More than 100 employers across Northern Ireland have now committed to paying the real Living Wage, a significant milestone that highlights the region’s growing dedication to fair pay.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on the cost of living, ensuring that workers receive a fair wage that meets their everyday needs.
This achievement follows the launch of Living Wage NI in June by Advice NI, in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and the Department for the Economy. Until recently, Northern Ireland was the only region in the UK without a local body promoting the real Living Wage and accrediting employers. Remarkably, almost half of the accredited employers have signed up within the past two years.
Clonard Credit Union and USPCA are among the latest employers to join this growing network. The network now includes a diverse range of organisations, from Invest NI, Queen’s University Belfast and Belfast City Council to smaller businesses such as hairdressers and bars.
The Living Wage Movement originated as a grassroots campaign in East London in 2001, aimed at tackling in-work poverty and ensuring that workers earn enough to participate fully in family and community life. In 2011, Citizens UK launched the Living Wage accreditation scheme for employers, and since then, over 15,000 employers across the UK have signed up, delivering pay rises to over 460,000 workers. The current real Living Wage is set at £12 per hour across the UK and £13.15 per hour in London, significantly higher than the government's National Living Wage of £11.44, which applies only to workers aged 21 and over.
Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of employees paid below the Living Wage in the UK, with 15.6 per cent of jobs—equating to 190,000 workers—falling below this threshold. Increasing the number of employers who pay the real Living Wage is crucial in addressing this gap. Research by the Living Wage Foundation last year revealed that 60 per cent of low-paid workers had used a food bank, 39 per cent had regularly skipped meals, and 39 per cent had fallen behind on household bills.
However, the benefits of paying the real Living Wage extend beyond employees. Despite a challenging economic climate, 7,500 employers across the UK have signed up to pay the real Living Wage since 2021, with nearly 1,500 joining in 2024 alone. Employers have reported improvements in recruitment, retention, and reputation, with 94 per cent of Living Wage employers noting business benefits from their accreditation, according to research by Cardiff Business School.
“The real Living Wage now has strong momentum in Northern Ireland,” said Mary McManus, Regional Manager for Living Wage NI. “We are delighted to have reached the milestone of 100 accredited Living Wage Employers in NI. While we are playing catch up with other regions, we are very optimistic. Many employers sign up because they want to do the right thing by their employees, especially as many people continue to struggle with the cost of living. However, many see that it is also good for business helping them to retain people cutting down on recruitment and training costs”
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Terry McCrudden, CEO of Clonard Credit Union, shared his thoughts on the impact of accreditation: “Introducing the Living Wage within CCU as part of a programme to enhance the overall employee benefit package can only bring positive change to the lives of our employees. CCU prides itself on doing right by our staff, volunteers, members, and our communities. This is part of a long-term strategy of investment in our people based on our core values and vision for the future. As the first Credit Union in Northern Ireland to achieve Real Living Wage accreditation, we highly recommend and encourage others to consider the accreditation.”
Siobhan McHaffie, Director of Operations & Development for the USPCA added: “I am delighted that we have achieved accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer, as it is important to the USPCA to look after our staff. We could not give animals most in need of help the care, attention and treatment they need without the joint efforts of all our staff, and it is only right that we pay them a Real Living Wage for the vital work that they do tirelessly every day.”
For more information on how to become an accredited real Living Wage employer, visit https://www.adviceni.net/campaigns-projects/living-wage-ni
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