Jarrow-based UTS Group has been accredited as a real Living Wage employer.
Its Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at the company receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.75, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £7.83 per hour.
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff 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 150,000 people and put over £600m extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
UTS Group, head of HR, performance and development, Laura Hassan, said: “UTS Group is a thriving, growing business and we recognise our success is down to the contribution of each individual member of staff. By becoming a living wage employer we are making a commitment to our workforce that we recognise their continuous hard work and loyalty to the business and in turn they deserve a fair wage which reflects this.”
The Group, which employs just over 200 staff, was established in 2001 by managing director, Shaun Sadler and has manufacturing plants in in Jarrow and in Newport, Wales.
With customers in the utility, industrial and commercial markets, UTS produces a vast range of couplings, flange adapters and repair clamps for customers in the UK and export markets. Indeed, its unique selling point is having the capability to provide almost any product for the piping industry, to incorporate tailor-made solutions and to fabricate its products to suit any size of diameter and oval pipes, if required.
In addition to its manufacturing capability, which includes welding, fabricating, machining, powder coating and wet spray finishing, the company guarantees a 24 hour, 365 days a year, emergency service anywhere in the UK.
Tess Lanning, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that UTS Group has joined the movement of over 4,000 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.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as IKEA, Heathrow Airport, Barclays, Chelsea and Everton Football Clubs and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like UTS Group, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”