Cyrenians becomes a Living Wage employer

20 May 2015

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Poverty charity Cyrenians has been awarded Living Wage status.

The charity, which supports those excluded from family, home, work or community, has 110 staff who deliver services in seven local authority areas as well as providing training across the country through its Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution.

Cyrenians was able to finally achieve Living Wage status by moving a Community Job Scotland trainee and a Youth Employment Scotland trainee into employment directly with Cyrenians.

CEO Ewan Aitken said: “We are delighted to have achieved Living Wage accreditation and to put our shoulder to this vital anti-poverty campaign. As part of our employability work, we have helped over 500 people into jobs this year so we know the difficulties that low wage economy causes. This achievement is a sign of our commitment to live out what we want our many partner employers to do also.”

He added: “We know that austerity politics is going to bite even harder and those in poverty will continue to get the blame. The Living Wage is one way of helping people out of poverty whilst challenging the many myths perpetrated by those who want to deny the reality that poverty is a symptom of a broken system and not a lifestyle choice as some would have us believe.”

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually, currently set at £7.85 per hour. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Living Wage accreditation enables employers to be recognised for paying their staff a fair, decent wage.

Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, congratulated Cyrenians on becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer: “Cyrenians have shown fantastic leadership in becoming a Living Wage Employer.”

He added: “The continual rise of in-work poverty in Scotland is an issue that needs to be addressed as a priority. The response requires cooperation from private, public and third sector employers. The fastest way to tackle in-work poverty is to curtail the acceptance of the minimum wage and put an onus on paying the Living Wage.”