Working in partnership with UNISON, the University of Bath has been accredited as a Living Wage employer, meaning it will pay at least the voluntary Living Wage of £9 per hour to all staff.
The move will positively affect more than 300 employees and will be implemented in staff’s April salaries.
As the second largest employer in Bath and North East Somerset, the University employs around 3,300 people locally.
The workforce combines academics who teach and research and staff who provide a range of services including student support, accommodation, retail and catering and looking after the campus grounds and buildings.
£9 is the figure set currently by the Living Wage Foundation to reflect a truer cost of living, once inflation is fully taken into account.
This is significantly higher than the national living wage, set by the government, which is currently at £7.83 for over 25s.
Richard Brooks, Director of Human Resources at the University, said: “These are financially challenging times for the sector and it is important that we invest our resources in the right things.
“I am delighted that our commitment to paying the Voluntary Living Wage has been recognised in this way.”
Simon Newell, Regional Organiser for UNISON, added: “We are pleased to have worked with the University of Bath to secure accreditation by the Living Wage Foundation.
“As a trades union, UNISON firmly believes that paying the real living wage is not only the right thing to do, but makes excellent business sense, and we applaud the University for taking this step.
“We hope that other universities will engage with their UNISON branches to gain Living Wage Foundation accreditation and follow the University of Bath’s lead on this.”
