Last month Belfast Charitable Society announced it had become a Real Living Wage Employer, a commitment to pay its employees a rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living. Today, it is going one step further in tackling low pay within the voluntary and community sector by becoming the first funder based in Northern Ireland to become a Real Living Wage Funder.
Paula Reynolds, CEO of Belfast Charitable Society explains “We are delighted to be the first Northern Ireland based funder to be accredited with the Real Living Wage Funder status. With over 270 years of history, Belfast Charitable Society has always been innovative in tackling poverty and disadvantage, and most importantly on how we supported individuals to break the cycle of poverty. Our archive records, which show hundreds of examples of well-paid apprenticeship schemes, are a testament to this, and today we continue to make that commitment by giving a guarantee to our grant recipients that we will ensure our funding enables them to pay the real living wage to their employees. This will not only positively impact real people struggling due to the continued cost of living crisis, but more widely will help to tackle the huge problem of low pay within the sector”.
In recent years, many organisations relying on grant funding have experienced a tough funding environment. Limited funding has had an impact on wages with more than a quarter of workers in the UK now earning less than a real Living Wage, and as a result of the continued cost of living crisis, finding it more and more difficult to pay for essentials like food and heating.
Northern Ireland has held the unenviable record of consistently having the highest, or almost highest, number of jobs paid below the real Living Wage compared to the rest of the UK. The real Living Wage is the only UK Wage rate based on the cost of living. It is currently £12.60 in the UK and £13.85 in London. Unlike the national Living Wage, it is paid to everyone aged 18 above. One in five jobs here are paid below the real Living Wage (RLW). Within this shocking statistic, women are disproportionally disadvantaged, with 24.5 percent earning below the real living wage compared to 16.3 percent of men. And part-time workers are almost three times more likely to be paid below the RLW than their full-time counterparts.
Mary McManus, Regional Manager – Living Wage NI expands “We are delighted that not only has Belfast Charitable Society accredited as a Living Wage Employer, they have taken the next step and become the first ever funder in Northern Ireland to accredit as a Living Wage Funder. This is a significant milestone for the Living Wage movement here. Low pay is a significant issue in the Community and Voluntary sector, a sector that provides essential services to so many. 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. The Living Wage Funder Network aims to promote fair pay across the sector. We hope that other NI Funders will follow Belfast Charitable Society and the other 79 Funders in GB who are already signed up to the scheme.”
Living Wage NI promotes and raises awareness of the real Living Wage and signs local employers up to the scheme. Today, Thursday 27th March, as part of the Imagine Festival, Clifton House, home of Belfast Charitable Society, hosted an event entitled, Making NI a Living Wage Region. The event will provide more information on the real Living Wage and how to sign up. There was also an opportunity to hear from a range of local real Living Wage Employers on why the Living Wage is good for employees, business and society.
Paula Reynolds concludes “Belfast Charitable Society now joins other funders such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn and the National Lottery Community Fund, who despite not being based in Northern Ireland, support a number of grant recipients here. However more needs to be done. Low pay needs to become a thing of the past. Having gone through the process of becoming a Real Living Wage employer and now a Real Living Wage Funder, we are delighted to host this event today in Clifton House and would encourage other employers and funders to come along and find out more about how they can become a Real Living Wage employer.”