EF-group is celebrating its second anniversary of being a Living Wage employer.

The Northwest based care home food services provider’s commitment on 5 July 2021 means all staff now receive a minimum hourly wage of £10.90.

Sam Hill, group HR manager, commented: “Every business knows that their people are their greatest asset, and they have the ability to see you through to success, so keeping them happy is essential and we wanted to demonstrate and continue our commitment and ensure our employees earn a wage they can live on, especially in these times.”

The Real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011, the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of lower paid workers.

Katherine Chapman, director, of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We were delighted when EF-group joined us and over 12,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“They joined thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the Real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like EF-group, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”

Around 12.5% of all jobs in the Northwest pay less than the Real Living Wage, equivalent to 367,000 workers.