Portview Champions the Real Living Wage
Portview has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer – a commitment that will see everyone receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.30 in the UK or £10.75 in London. Both rates are significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £8.21 per hour.
Portview is headquartered in Northern Ireland, the UK region with the highest proportion of non-Living Wage jobs in the country (23%), with over 202,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, Portview has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
Simon Campbell, Managing Director of Portview, said:
“At Portview, it’s important to us that our team feel valued and recognised for their hard work across all levels of the business – from our cleaners and subcontractors, to our placement students and freelancers. All deserve to be paid fairly for their contribution.”
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 200,000 people and put over £1 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
“It has always been our mission to go over and above what is expected of us as a company”
In recent months however, the UK has experienced a significant economic downturn as a result of the lockdown on 23rd March. In response, Portview made a commitment to pay all of its employees their full salary until the end of June, in the hopes of everyone being able to return to work within the following three months.
“It has always been our mission to go over and above what is expected of us as a company and that includes paying salaries that are higher than the national minimum wage and equal to what our team rightfully deserve. We hope this has provided our team with some level of comfort and security during a time when many people are feeling anxious about their financial security.”
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
“We’re delighted that Portview has joined the movement of over 6000 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 join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as IKEA, Heathrow Airport, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Portview, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
