The Living Wage Foundation has accredited National Express as a living wage employer, they join a growing list of employers who are agreeing voluntarily to pay their employees above the Governments new national living wage that becomes effective for over 25s in April 2016.
The commitment by National Express to pay all their UK employees the living wage rate extends not just to their 350 permanent employees but an assurance that the same rate will be payable to agency and contracted staff also.
Although National Express introduced the living wage to their bus division on 3 January 2016 it will take until the end of 2017 for their coach and rail business staff to feel the benefit.
The Living Wage Foundation calculate the living wage rate according to the cost of living in the UK and the rate at which it should be paid is updated on an annual basis. It should be noted that this is purely a voluntary arrangement that is entered into by employers whereas the new national living wage is mandatory.
Peter Coates, managing director of National Express UK Bus, said: “Our staff do a great job helping hundreds of thousands of people get to work and school and to see their family and friends every day. We are always looking at what more we can do to recognise this hard work and committing to become a living wage employer testifies to our determination to be the best possible employer.”
Sarah Vero, director of the Living Wage Foundation, added: “National Express is the first private transport group to accredit, and we hope their announcement and the leadership that they are showing will lay down a marker in the transport sector.”
Comment
It is interesting to note that when George Osbourne announced the new national living wage there was an outcry similar to that when the national minimum wage was introduced. How recruitment levels will be stifled and yet notable employers are voluntarily signing up to an hourly rate that is considerably higher than the governments.
