Lorraine Milburn, Grundon Sand & Gravel’s head of HR, said: “This accreditation underlines our passion that our employees should be paid a fair wage for a hard day’s work.
“Their commitment is outstanding, they work incredibly hard day-in-day-out to make sure our quarry products are of the finest quality to meet market demands, so it is only right that they are properly rewarded for their dedication and expertise.
“This signals a commitment not only to our employees of today but also to our future employees that we are a business which looks after its people, cares about their wellbeing and is prepared to pay a fair day’s wage.”
Across its four quarries in the south of England, Grundon employs weighbridge and plant operators, administration and sales teams.
As a Real Living Wage Employer, it means Grundon Sand & Gravel will voluntarily pay employees aged 18 and above the real Living Wage. At £9.90 an hour, this is 99p higher than the current National Living Wage of £8.91 an hour.
Grundon’s sister company, Grundon Waste Management, has been accredited as a Recognised Service Provider, guaranteeing that all employees who are not tied to customer contracts will also receive hourly rates of pay of at least the Real Living Wage.
The Living Wage was launched by Citizens UK in 2001 with the principle: ‘that work should bring dignity and should enable families to enjoy the essentials of life’. It is calculated annually according to the basic cost of living in the UK.
The Foundation says that cleaning, security, catering and other service professions have some of the highest levels of low pay in the UK, estimating that some 83% of waiting staff and 70% of cleaners earn below the Living Wage.
There are now over 9,000 Living Wage Employers, including IKEA, Aviva, Nestlé and AstraZeneca.
