PDMS signs up for Living Wage Accreditation Scotland

PDMS is committed to doing the right thing for our employees by joining increasing number of employers in Scotland to sign up for the Living Wage accreditation

PDMS has long been known to put its employees first and we continually strive to ensure a fair working environment for all members of staff.  This year, however, we felt we should go a step further and sign up to the Living Wage accreditation, which we were proudly awarded with at the beginning of November 2021. 

About Living Wage Scotland

In 2001, the Living Wage movement was formed in East London. It began with Citizens UK encouraging institutions such as schools, trade unions and faith organisations to speak up about the issues, specifically low pay, affecting their communities. A few years later in 2014, Living Wage Scotland was launched. Since then, local authorities, health boards and companies across all sectors and industries have committed to paying their staff a decent wage.

The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis, recognising the value of their workers and ensuring that a hard day’s work receives a fair day’s pay.

The Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 45,000 people in Scotland and put over £240 million extra into the pockets of low paid Scottish workers. However, as it stands today, over 15% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage, which accounts for around 350,000 jobs.

PDMS and the Living Wage

For us, it is not just about ticking boxes or meeting government standards. We want to go above and beyond for our staff, just as they go above and beyond for us. Our mission is to be a supportive and fair employer for all of our staff and ensure they have the tools and facilities to have a healthy work-life balance and meet the cost of living. We highly value our staff and this step is a further commitment we are making to our Glasgow office as it continues to grow.

We felt it was important to become an accredited Living Wage company, because whilst PDMS has always paid its employees at least the minimum wage, we wanted to ensure that all our key subcontractors also paid their staff the living wage. By signing up to the scheme, we would guarantee this outcome. 

Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance commented:

"Too many workers in Scotland are in the grip of poverty and employers choosing to pay at least the real Living Wage can loosen that grip. Payment of the real Living Wage allows those in work to become more included in society, better meet their everyday needs, and feel that their value and hard work is recognised by their employer."

Join the Living Wage movement

There is currently a support network of over 2000 employers in Scotland, spanning private, public and third sectors and these companies are committed to paying their staff a decent wage.  If you’d like to get involved, the process is simple:

• Pay all directly employed staff aged 18 and over the real Living Wage (currently £9.50 per hour)
• Pay or have a plan in place to pay contracted workers the real Living Wage
• Complete the contact form below to start the application process

Living Wage Scotland is a partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and is funded by the Scottish Government.