Around three-quarters of employees in BP’s UK retail business received a pay rise this month after the company introduced the Living Wage across its entire UK operation.
This means that everyone working for BP in the UK now receives a minimum hourly wage of £9.30, or £10.75 in London. These rates, which are determined by the Living Wage Foundation, are higher than the government-set UK minimum rate for over 25s of £8.72 per hour.
The Living Wage Foundation has accredited BP as a UK Living Wage Employer, making it the first major energy and convenience retail employer to receive such accreditation.
The real Living Wage is the only wage rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their employees 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 200,000 people and put over £1bn extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
BP employs around 15,000 staff in the UK including around 6,600 in its network of retail convenience stores across the country.
BP UK head of country Peter Mather said: “We’re proud to pay the real Living Wage as it reflects the importance of BP’s front-line team members. They bring our purpose and values to life every day, providing fuel and food to millions of customers a year even through the challenges of this most difficult year.”
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that BP has joined the movement of over 6,500 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum, and make sure all their employees earn enough to live on. Their commitment to paying the real Living Wage to all their employees is a major step forward for employment standards in the energy industry and the convenience shopping sector in the UK.”
“BP’s commitment to paying their employees to the real Living Wage means that they, along with thousands of other businesses, recognise that paying this rate is the mark of a responsible employer, and that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
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