Brighouse company makes commitment to be living wage employer

Full-time permanent staff working at Alco Valves Group will receive a minimum hourly wage of £9 in the UK. This rate is significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which, from April 2019 will stand at £8.21 per hour.

Jochen Hennes Managing Director for Alco Valves Group said: “We are enormously pleased to introduce the Real Living Wage scheme at Alco.

"This initiative ensures that some of our hardest working employees receive a wage that reflects their hard work and dedication, ensuring that they are able to effectively cover their living costs.”

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 160,000 people and put over £800m extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Tess Lanning, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Alco Valves Group has joined the movement of over 4,700 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 IKEA, Heathrow Airport, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Alco, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."