Bristol-based ethical bank Triodos has become one of only 13 businesses in the city to be accredited as a Living Wage employer.
Awarded by the Living Wage Foundation, the accreditation guarantees that everyone working at the bank, including permanent employees, third-party contractors and suppliers, receives a minimum hourly wage of £7.65 – significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.31. 
Triodos head of HR Paula Searle, pictured, said: “The Living Wage is about fairness and investing in people. By signing up we are demonstrating the value that we place in each and every person who works at Triodos Bank.”
The Living Wage campaign has been running for 10 years and in that time has lifted an estimated 45,000 people out of poverty. Employers have no legal obligation to pay it but choose to on a voluntary basis.
Despite the fact there has been a 75% increase in the number of businesses paying the Living Wage since November 2013 taking the total to 700, TUC research found there are still around 5m people in the UK getting paid less than the living wage.
The study also revealed that Kingswood in Bristol is the UK Living Wage black-spot with 48% of those working there earning less than £7.65 an hour.
Paula continued: “It may come as quite a surprise to many people in Bristol that Kingswood came up as one of the worst areas for paying the Living Wage. But with just 13 accredited Living Wage employers in Bristol, low pay in the city is clearly something that needs to be tackled. 
“At Triodos we believe that paying employees the Living Wage is the right thing to do, and we hope our accreditation encourages more businesses in Bristol to do the same.”
Director of the Living Wage Foundation, Rhys Moore, added: “We are delighted to welcome Triodos Bank to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.
“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.
“These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that.”
Last October Business West, the organisation that runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, and the TUC signed a joint declaration urging employers to pay their staff the Living Wage.
Bristol’s mayor George Ferguson has pledged to work towards introducing the Living Wage for council staff and contractors by the end of his first term of office in late 2016.
