What is the Real Living Wage?
GALE has become accredited as a Living Wage employer.
GALE has been an accredited Living Wage employer since May 2022. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone aged 18 and over working at GALE receive a minimum hourly wage of £13.45 per hour. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by nearly 16,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs – like the weekly shop, or a surprise trip to the dentist.
In Scotland, an estimated 11.4% of employees aged 18 and over earned less than the real living wage in 2024. Despite this, GALE has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay.
Almost £600m in extra wages has gone to low paid workers in Scotland since 2011, through the Living Wage campaign.
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance said: “We all need an income that is enough to cover our needs and protect us from poverty, and it’s only right that employers pay a wage that reflects the cost of living. Too many workers in Scotland are paid less than the real Living Wage and, at a time of rising costs, are struggling to stay afloat. The real Living Wage can offer protection from those rising costs.”
“Congratulations to GALE on their Living Wage commitment, and I hope more organisations follow their lead by becoming Living Wage accredited.”
Gail Irvine, Living Wage Scotland Manager said: “We’re delighted that GALE has become an accredited Living Wage employer. They join a growing movement of over 2500 employers in Scotland who together want to ensure workers have what they need to thrive.
Cory, GALE Chair said: “I was very proud that GALE became a Living Wage employer in May this year. It’s something the organisation had been working towards for quite some time. The previous Chair and I have worked tirelessly to ensure GALE staff are rewarded for their hard work.”
The Calculation
The real Living Wage is an independently calculated rate based on the cost of living and is paid voluntarily by employers. The rate is currently £12.60 and is calculated annually by The Resolution Foundation on an analysis of the wage that employees need to earn in order to afford the basket of goods required for a decent standard of living. This basket of goods includes housing, childcare, transport and heating costs.
Fair Work First Statement and Declaration
Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum is committed to advancing the Scottish Government Fair Work First Policy and the criteria as set out within the Fair Work First guidance document. We confirm that we pay our staff the Real Living Wage. We make every effort to ensure that our suppliers/contractors are offered the same Real Living Wage rate when procuring goods or services. We also confirm that we offer our staff and/or volunteers an Effective Workers Voice channel within the workplace.
- We have appropriate channels for effective voice from the workforce and volunteers;
(1a) Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum will provide effective one to one line management for any employee or volunteer ensuring regular open and two-way dialogue. This exists separately to performance management processes and fosters effective worker/manager working relationships.
(1b) Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum will ensure that as part of their induction, employees will be made aware of their right to join a union of their choice and will take a pro- union membership attitude.
2. We actively invest in workforce and/or volunteer development through the provision of appropriate training and development opportunities. This includes in house training, comprehensive induction, team building exercises, external training and ongoing line manager support.
3. We are committed to no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts. The majority of our contracts are year round, permanent and annualised. We use zero hours contracts primarily to meet the needs and preferences of workers. Regular hours are offered with rota agreements made in advance and last minute changes only used in unavoidable circumstances.
4. We take action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. We are a female led organisation with 90% of the senior management roles currently filled by female employees. We also employ disabled workers who also fill senior management positions. We proactively support workers with caring responsibilities providing flexible working as standard, home working where appropriate, time off for parental and caring leave including school holidays.
5.We are fully committed to paying the Real Living Wage to both our employees and ensuring our contractors also do the same. We have been an accredited Real Living Wage Employer since May 2022.
When it comes to our suppliers we seek fair trade products where possible and also buy from works co-operatives and other ethical suppliers where available. We also look for the Real Living Wage mark when selecting new suppliers and contractors. We have a strategic aim of supporting locally owned businesses and therefore buy predominantly from small family owned businesses and sole traders.