Gripple, a South Yorkshire-based manufacturer of wire joiners, tensioners and suspension solutions, and its sister returnable packaging solutions firm Loadhog, have received living wage employer accreditation.
Accredited employers are required to increase wages in line with new living wage rates within six months of them being announced, after which employees and contractors at Gripple and Loadhog over the age of 18 will earn a minimum of £12 per hour, an increase of £1.10 from the previous rate.
This figure is above both the government’s minimum wage of £10.18 for those aged 21 and above, and the £10.42 national living wage for workers aged over 23, which is set to rise to at least £11 an hour from April 2024.
The accreditation, which was announced during Living Wage Week (6 – 12 November 2023), demonstrates the employers’ commitment to fair pay for their employees.
The real living wage rate is independently calculated by the Living Wage Foundation based on the cost of household goods, services and what people need to meet the costs of living, as opposed to the government minimum.
Kevin St Clair, managing director at Gripple UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, which clearly demonstrates our commitment to our people as an employee-owned business. With recent cost-of-living increases, we wanted to reaffirm that our wages are in line with rising costs, for the benefit of our people now and in the future. We also offer a pension scheme which far exceeds that offered by most businesses.”