The Living Wage Foundation today confirmed that it has formally accredited bp as a UK Living Wage Employer
The Living Wage Foundation today confirmed that it has formally accredited bp as a UK Living Wage Employer. bp is the first major energy and convenience retail employer to receive such accreditation, which follows its introduction of the real Living Wage throughout its UK businesses this month.
This means that everyone working for bp in the UK now receives a minimum hourly wage of £9.30 in the UK or £10.75 in London. These rates, which are determined by the Living Wage Foundation, are higher than the government-set UK minimum rate for over 25s of £8.72 per hour.
bp employs around 15,000 staff in the UK including around 6,600 in its network of retail convenience stores across the country. bp introduced the real Living Wage to all its UK businesses, including its retail operations, in August. This resulted in a pay rise for around three-quarters of employees in the UK retail business.
The real Living Wage is the only wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their employees earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 200,000 people and put over £1 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
bp UK head of country Peter Mather said: “We’re proud to pay the real Living Wage as it reflects the importance of bp’s front-line team members. They bring our purpose and values to life every day, providing fuel and food to millions of customers a year even through the challenges of this most difficult year.”
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that bp has joined the movement of over 6,500 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum, and make sure all their employees earn enough to live on. Their commitment to paying the real Living Wage to all their employees is a major step forward for employment standards in the energy industry and the convenience shopping sector in the UK.”
“bp’s commitment to paying their employees to the real Living Wage means that they, along with thousands of other businesses, recognise that paying this rate is the mark of a responsible employer, and that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
