Winder Power Celebrates Living Wage Commitment

Company is one of the first organisations in the transformer and energy sector in Leeds to be accredited as a Living Wage employer.

Winder Power, today, has been announced as one of the first organisations in the transformer and energy sector in Leeds to become an accredited Living Wage Employer. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Winder Power, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors; receive a minimum hourly wage of £7.65 -significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.31. The accreditation covers one hundred employees across Winder Power, which include: Winder Power Projects and Winder Power Rotating Machines.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually and calculated according to the basic cost of living using the 'Minimum Income Standard' for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.

Speaking about the recent accreditation, Laurence MacKenzie, Group Managing Director, Winder Power, said, "Making a public commitment to be a responsible employer is important for Winder Power as many Winder Power staff are from the local community and we are a proud British manufacturer producing all our products in Yorkshire. We are committed to ensure we provide this community, and the UK, with sustainable employment and maintain, and indeed create, jobs in this country; which we believe the Living Wage accreditation will aid us in this objective."

The Living Wage campaign has been running for ten years and has lifted over 45,000 people out of poverty. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore said: "We are delighted to welcome Winder Power to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer. The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. 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."

"We have accredited over 850 leading employers, including WinderPower, ranging from independent printers, hairdressers and breweries, to well-known companies such as Nationwide and Aviva. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that."

About the Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The London Living Wage is currently £8.80 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Greater London Authority and covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £7.65 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. There are currently over 700 accredited employers. We are an initiative of Citizens UK. We believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty. To find out more about becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer visit www.livingwage.org.uk.