West coast ferry operator CalMac has been named as Scottish Living Wage Champion for 2016.
In August 2015, CalMac became the UK’s first ferry company to gain Living Wage Foundation accreditation and also the first major transport operator in Scotland.
CalMac remains the only UK ferry operator with Living Wage accreditation, which was earned by David MacBrayne Ltd – CalMac’s holding company – and extends to all areas of the business, including Argyll Ferries; a total of some 1,500 staff.
More than 600 companies and organisations in Scotland are Living Wage Foundation accredited, making up 3,000 employers across the UK as a whole. Only 27 of these are transport related.
The award was presented at the Living Wage Expo Conference in Glasgow by Director of The Poverty Alliance, Peter Kelly, and was received on behalf of David MacBrayne by CalMac’s Managing Director Martin Dorchester.
“We are extremely proud to receive this award,” said Martin. “Gaining Living Wage Foundation accreditation was very important to us. We already prided ourselves on paying more than the Living Wage across the board, but the accreditation was and, indeed, remains a long term commitment to our staff.
The Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn, said: “I would like to congratulate CalMac on becoming the Scottish Living Wage Champion for 2016. The Scottish Government has long championed the payment of the real Living Wage, recognising the big difference it can make to the lives of people working in Scotland.
“It is not only the 80% of employees in Scotland who are now paid at least the Living Wage which gain, but also the many businesses, like CalMac, who benefit through better staff morale and increased productivity. Investing in your workforce through the Living Wage is the right thing to do and it makes good business sense.”
The awards celebrate organisations which have done the most to implement, promote and celebrate the Living Wage in their area. Judges looked for evidence that those considered for the award had gone above and beyond to promote the real Living Wage, as well as to let the public know about their own achievements. Living Wage accreditation is managed by The Poverty Alliance in Scotland.
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