York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has once again agreed to implement the National Living Wage for its employers, and will pay staff the updated rate of £7.85 an hour from 1 January 2015.

The Board of Directors at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust agreed to implement The Living Wage for the financial year 2014/15, reviewing it every April. However, after a staff member raised the issue with Chief Executive Patrick Crowley at a staff drop-in session, the Board made a quick decision to adopt the new rate of £7.85 with effect from 1 January 2015.

The Living Wage is a voluntary scheme designed to encourage employers to raise the pay of those on the lowest incomes, to ensure that it covers the basic cost of living in the UK.

The 2015 Living Wage was announced during ‘Living Wage Week in November.  It was set at £7.85 per hour, an increase of 2.6% on the 2013 rate and 21% higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50 per hour.

Patrick Crowley, Chief Executive at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are proud to be a ‘Living Wage Employer’ and to play our part in making York a fairer city for its residents.

“Since April 2014 when we first adopted the living wage, 630 of our staff working across the whole Trust, including Porters, Catering, Domestic and Health Care Assistants, have been paid the National Living Wage. 

“Adopting the Living Wage forms part of our aim to be an employer of choice in all the communities that we provide services for, and despite the significant cost, we felt strongly that it was the right thing to adopt the new rate and to implement it with affect from 1 January 2015.    

“We are extremely proud to play our part in continuing the City of York’s long history of socially responsible employers who endeavour to improve the quality of life for their workers.”

Shane Sayner, Domestic Assistant at York Hospital, said: “Staff on band ones are over the moon that the Trust has agreed to implement the 2015 National Living Wage.

“Over 600 staff will benefit from this which amounts to a £30 monthly increase on our salaries.

“I asked Patrick whether the Trust was going to look at adopting the new living wage at last month’s Staff Surgery so it is great to see that this has been agreed so quickly and that it will be effective from January.”

Carol Popplestone, Staffside Chair, which represents the Trade Unions said: “We are very pleased that the Board made the decision to implement the living wage. This demonstrates their recognition of the hard work of staff who work in ancillary roles.

“The Trust works hard to achieve partnership working and the implementation of the living wage is one recognition of that.”

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs more than 8,500 staff working across York, North Yorkshire, North East Yorkshire and Ryedale.

22 December 2014