The Hepworth Wakefield celebrates commitment to real Living Wage
25 Apr 2023
The Hepworth Wakefield has today been accredited as a Living Wage employer.
The Hepworth Wakefield’s Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at the gallery receive a minimum hourly wage of £11.45, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.
The gallery is based in Yorkshire and the Humber, the UK region with the highest proportion of non-Living Wage jobs in the country (15.8%), with over 368,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage; despite this, The Hepworth Wakefield has committed to pay the real Living Wage.
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. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Simon Wallis, The Hepworth Wakefield’s Director, said
‘The whole team at The Hepworth Wakefield provide an exceptional, world-class experience for our visitors. Offering a Living Wage is really important to us as an employer to recognise this hard work and professionalism and to give staff a wage which meets their everyday needs, based on the real costs of living. Despite the tough financial climate charities like The Hepworth Wakefield are now facing, we are committed to always paying the real Living Wage as a minimum going forward each year.’
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
‘We’re delighted that The Hepworth Wakefield has joined the movement of over 12,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on. They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like The Hepworth Wakefield, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.’
