Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce was delighted to be part of the City of Dundee’s plan to become an accredited Living Wage City. The Chamber teamed up with a number of the City’s prominent employers to create a plan that was recognised by Living Wage Scotland.

The launch was hosted by DC Thompson and attended by Chamber members such as Dundee City Council, Dundee and Angus College and Xplore Dundee.

The approach to becoming a Living Wage City will centre around the Living Wage Places scheme, which invites employers to commit to being accredited as a Living Wage employer, with the aim of incrementally giving pay rises to workers across the city. More than 50 Dundee employers, totalling around a quarter of all workers across the city have signed up.

The Living Wage requires employers to ensure that their staff pay a minimum of £9.00 per hour rather than the national minimum wage of £7.83, while supporting and recognising the positive impact of small businesses who commit to the project.

The plan would see this double over the next three years, and hopefully see Dundee become the UK’s first Living Wage City. Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Alison Henderson said that the Chamber was “proud to be a partner in driving this (the project) forward” emphasising that “the economic benefits of change in our city must make a difference to everyone”.

Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Minister, praised the ambition and vision of the city’s employers: “The significance of the Living Wage cannot be overstated. Evidence shows that paying it leads to increased productivity, better morale and lower sickness absence. It also demonstrates to the world that an organisation is committed to treating its workforce well”.

The project is another step in the region’s development, and looks to capitalise on the economic benefits brought by the transformation of Dundee’s Waterfront, as well as making sure that those in the workforce know that they are valued ahead of the Tay Cities Deal being implemented, along with other developments that will be an economic boost to Dundee and the surrounding area.