Shropshire construction company becomes first in county to achieve Real Living Wage
Shropshire construction company McPhillips has become the first construction firm in the county to be accredited as a Real Living Wage employer.
The Telford-based company's commitment will see all 240 of its directly employed workforce receive a minimum hourly wage of £12.60, higher than the government minimum for over 21s, which currently stands at £12.21 per hour.
The achievement makes McPhillips the only construction company in Shropshire to hold the accreditation, which is awarded by the Living Wage Foundation to employers who voluntarily commit to paying wages that meet everyday living costs rather than just the government minimum.
Paul Inions, managing director of McPhillips, said: "We've always done things differently at McPhillips. Unlike many in our sector, we directly employ all 240 of our people because it means we can properly invest in training, maintain quality standards and genuinely look after our team.
"Making this commitment to the Real Living Wage is particularly significant given the recent increase in National Insurance contributions which have hit all employers this year. But our people have always been our most important asset.
"The benefits go beyond our workforce too. Around 80% of our team live within 20 miles of our Shropshire base, which means these wages are being earned and spent locally – supporting other businesses, families and communities right here in our regional economy."
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, added: "We're delighted that McPhillips has joined the movement of over 16,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on."
The Living Wage Foundation's real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on the cost of living. More than16,000 accredited employers have secured over £3.6 billion of pay rises for low paid workers since 2011.
In the West Midlands region, 18.3% of all workers earn less than they need to get by, with around 418,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Only 36 companies in the construction sector in the West Midlands have made the commitment to the Real Living Wage.
McPhillips has delivered more than 140 projects as principal contractor with a value of £300million in the last five years from its Hortonwood headquarters.
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