Member Article

Knowsley housing provider makes Living Wage pledge

Knowsley housing providor, the First Ark Group, has volunteered to become a Living Wage Employer.

This means it will pay staff not just the minimum wage, but a wage which better reflects the actual cost of living in the UK.

It is the first Housing Association in the Liverpool City Region to become an accredited Living Wage Employer.

The Living Wage is set independently and updated annually – currently it stands at £7.45 an hour against the national minimum wage of £6.19 an hour for workers aged 21 and over.

The Group, which includes Knowsley Housing Trust and repairs and maintenance company Vivark, believes that signing up to the scheme is not only good for staff but good for business – helping to reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity and staff retention.

Sharon Marsh, Director of Human Resources at the First Ark Group, said: “We are really pleased to receive the Living Wage accreditation – it demonstrates our commitment to being an ethical employer and has proven benefits for our business.

“However for us the Living Wage is about much more than this – it’s about recognising our staff for the work they do and the positive impact that it has on thousands of people across Knowsley and ensuring they have a fair opportunity to improve their quality of life.

“We believe that all our staff should share in the success of our organisation.”

The Group invests in many ways to help its staff and tenants improve their lives – it is a registered provider of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, has created dozens of job and apprenticeship opportunities, runs a major staff volunteering scheme and ‘green’ projects to help people bring down their energy bills.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .