Skip to main content
Story

Living Wage and Living Hours at UAL

UAL's High Holborn office with a number of people stood outside
  • Written byUAL Communications
  • Published date 16 September 2021
UAL's High Holborn office with a number of people stood outside

The Living Wage Foundation has formally accredited UAL as a UK Living ‎Wage Employer. UAL will also work to apply the Living Hours standard to our new facilities management contract.

As a Living Wage Employer, all UAL staff and contracted staff earn at least the minimum hourly wage of £9.50 in ‎the UK or £10.85 in London. Determined by the Living Wage Foundation, these rates are ‎higher than the government-set UK minimum rate of £8.91 per hour for anyone over 23.‎

We have also committed to working with the successful partner to make the new facilities management contract, which comes into effect from 10 December 2021, meet the Living Hours standard. To that end, we will conduct a pilot with the successful contractor, so as to roll it out fully during the contract.

James Purnell, President & Vice-Chancellor of UAL, said: “We value everyone who works with us. That’s why we guarantee fair pay through Living Wage accreditation and ensure predictable hours for our cleaners and facilities staff through the new Living Hours standard. UAL has put social purpose at the heart of our strategy and we will embed it in everything we do “

Graham Griffiths, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that UAL has joined the movement of over 8,000 accredited employers across the UK who’ve committed to go further than the government minimum and pay a real Living Wage.

“UAL is now accredited alongside household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton and many more, with over 2,000 more employers receiving the real Living Wage accreditation since the start of the pandemic. These organisations recognise that paying the real Living Wage is not only the mark of a responsible employer and the right thing to do, but the essential foundation to a strong and equitable recovery.”

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. A real living wage is a particular issue in London, where nearly a fifth of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage.