Published: November 2, 2015
Unity Trust Bank has been chosen as the winner of the Living Wage Champion Awards 2015 for the West Midlands region for the second consecutive year.
The awards, coordinated by the Living Wage Foundation, celebrate Living Wage Employers that have made great contributions to communities and industries by implementing and recognising the life changing importance of the Living Wage.
The awards are part of Living Wage Week 2015, a national celebration of responsible pay, running from 1st-7th November.
Living Wage Foundation Acting Director, Sarah Vero, said:
“Congratulations to Unity Trust Bank on becoming a Living Wage Champion Award winner for the second time. With 2,000 employers now signed up, it is wonderful to have Unity leading the way in the West Midlands. The leadership of responsible employers is making a profound difference in the lives of families and communities across the UK. Thank you very much for celebrating the Living Wage.”
Unity Trust Bank CEO, Margaret Willis, said:
“I am extremely proud that for the second year Unity has been recognised as the Living Wage Champion for the West Midlands. As a challenger bank with a social conscience, we are a people focused employer and by championing the Living Wage, Unity is playing its part in raising standards within the banking industry and helping rebuild customer trust in banks.”
Unity Trust Bank Head of Human Resources, Kay Gossage, said:
“Living Wage accreditation has contributed towards the increased motivation and satisfaction of our staff, evidenced in our Best Companies ‘one star’ and Investors In People Gold achievements. Being named Living Wage Champion demonstrates our ongoing commitment to investing in our people and rewarding them with a fair deal which positively impacts their wellbeing.”
The Living Wage Foundation offers a recognition mark for employers that commit to paying the voluntary Living Wage rates to their directly employed staff and sub-contractors on their premises. There are now over 2,000 employers registered with the Foundation.
The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.
One Champion Award winner has been named in each region of the UK: Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland; the East Midlands; the West Midlands; the East of England; Yorkshire and the Humber; North East England; North West England; South East England; South West England; and London.
The awards were judged by an independent panel of community leaders from Citizens UK, national community organising charity and home of the Living Wage campaign.
