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Aberdeen charity Four Pillars becomes a living wage employer

Four Pillars is an LGBTQ+ charity based in Aberdeen. Picture by Scott Baxter.

Aberdeen-based charity Four Pillars has become a living wage employer joining over 1,900 other businesses in Scotland.

The current real living wage is set at £9.50 per hour which is a significant increase in the minimum wage set by the government which currently for over 23s is £8.91 per hour.

Four Pillars employs five staff, three of which were recruited in the first week of November as part of the Kickstart programme by the government.

The scheme allows companies to apply for grants to help get 16 to 24-year-olds into employment.

Two members of the Four Pillars team are under 23 and so will receive a pay increase of £1.14 per hour.

In Scotland, over 350,000 jobs are paid less than the real living wage.

The real living wage is the only wage in the UK that is calculated based on today’s cost of living.

Employers are not required to pay the living wage however, many recognise the value of their workers and what they contribute to the company’s success.

Since its introduction in 2011, the living wage has delivered additional income to over 45,000 workers in Scotland.

This works out as an extra £240 million in the pockets of Scotland’s low-paid workers.

‘A growing movement of over 1,900 employers in Scotland’

The living wage movement aligns with Four Pillars’ ethos, who help support the LGBTQ+ community with their mental, physical, emotional and sexual health issues.

Peter Kelly, director of The Poverty Alliance said: “Too many workers in Scotland are in the grip of poverty and employers choosing to pay at least the real living wage can loosen that grip.

“Payment of the real living wage allows those in work to become more included in society, better meet their everyday needs, and feel that their value and hard work is recognised by their employer.

“Congratulations to Four Pillars on their living wage commitment, and I hope more organisations follow their lead by becoming living wage accredited.”

Lynn Anderson, living wage Scotland manager said: “We’re delighted that Four Pillars has become an accredited living wage employer.

“They join a growing movement of over 1900 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need to thrive.

“Our living wage employer network includes lots of smaller employers as well as larger and iconic brands like SSE, Standard Life Aberdeen, Barrs, Brewdog, & D.C. Thomson. We hope to see many more employers following their example.”