People’s Health Trust is a Living Wage principle partner and supports the Living Wage Foundation in a variety of ways. The Trust supports real Living Wage campaigns and recognises the contribution of a real Living Wage towards tackling health inequalities.
Living Wage Employer
People’s Health Trust has been an accredited Living Wage Employer since 2012.
The real Living Wage is an hourly rate independently calculated each year based on the real cost of living and is voluntarily paid by thousands of UK employers. The rate is currently set at £12.60 across the UK and £13.85 in London (2024/25 rates).
Being paid the real Living Wage makes a real difference to people’s health and wellbeing. Having a reliable income that ensures you can afford essentials and plan for the future can help reduce stress, food insecurity, poverty and contributes to greater long-term health outcomes.
Read more about the Living Wage Employers here.
Living Wage Places
The Trust funds part of the Living Wage Places scheme, which has seen Dundee become the first city recognised for its plans to build a Living Wage City.
Living Wage cities, towns and boroughs are recognised for creating a Living Wage Place when a group of local employers and anchor institutions agree to become Living Wage Employers and work together on a plan to increase accreditations locally.
The places in which we live have a huge impact on our health. The Trust is funding the scheme in Cardiff, Salford and the London Borough of Southwark to improve pay for thousands of low paid workers, train community organisers to build local collective power and support local partnership working to create systemic change. Read more about Living Wage Places here.
Living Wage Funders scheme
In 2015, People’s Health Trust codeveloped the Living Wage Funders scheme to help end low pay in the voluntary and community sector.
By joining the scheme, funders commit to:
- Becoming a Living Wage Employer
- Funding grant-funded posts at the Living Wage rate
- Supporting grant-funded charities to become accredited Living Wage employers
The scheme was developed with funding from the Trust, in collaboration with other funders including Trust for London, Barrow Cadbury Trust and Comic Relief.
Living Wage Funders works with all parts of the charity sector and the statutory services to produce a prioritised action plan for tackling low pay amongst charities.
The 2018 action plan, published in response to the first ‘Low Pay in the Charity Sector report discuses solutions to low pay. It cites Government cuts to charity funding and a lack of awareness of the real Living Wage as leading to intense competition for funding and a ‘race to the bottom’ environment on pay in the sector. Read more about the Living Wage Funders scheme here.
People’s Health Trust is also a Principle Partner for the Living Wage Foundation. You can find out more about the Principal Partners here.