IGEM celebrates commitment to real Living Wage

IGEM is pleased to announce that we are now a Living Wage Employer. Our Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at IGEM receive a minimum hourly wage of £12 in the UK, higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.

We are based in the East Midlands, a region where over 13.3% of workers earn less than they need to get by, with over 251,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, we have committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

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 460,000 people and put £3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that IGEM has joined the movement of over 14,000 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 Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like IGEM, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."