Last week, we celebrated the Living Wage week 2020; where accredited employers spread the word about all the benefits that brings to pay above the minimum wage to their employees. Also, more now than ever, it was a powerful campaign to encourage more organisations to join the movement and promote a better income capacity for everyone.

What's the Living Wage?

The Real Living Wage campaign is an independent movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis - it provides an ethical benchmark for responsible pay.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by nearly 7,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets every day needs; the weekly shop, or a surprise trip to the dentist. Over 250,000 employees have received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign.

The new rates are officially announced:

• The London Living Wage is currently £10.85 per hour. This covers all boroughs in Greater London.
• The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £9.50 per hour.

*The rates are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence about living standards in London and the UK.

The EK team has a meeting every Friday specifically to talk about their CSR, sustainability, and charitable efforts, to spread awareness throughout their staff.
Last Friday meeting, as part of the Living Wage week celebrations, the team decided to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 'No Poverty' donating via B1G1, with the following projects:

• Shaun - Provided Music Training for a Child (3 music training sessions to help vulnerable children).
• Emma - Supported an Entrepreneur in Africa (5 dollars to support entrepreneurs in Africa).
• Stephanie - Provided Better Schools for a Better Life (50 days of access to improved schools and learning opportunities).
• Maddie - Gave Families a Bank Account to Prevent Child Trafficking (180 days of access to a community bank for a migrant family in need).
• Declan - Gave a Meal for the Homeless (3 nourishing meals to homeless people in South Africa).
• Sam - Protected a Colombian Child from Sexual Exploitation (20 sexual exploitation prevention workshops to children in Colombia).

Read more about our CSR & Sustainability efforts, partnerships and impacts here: https://www.ellisknight.com/csr-and-sustainability