THE number of employers in the Vale of Glamorgan who have signed up to pay the 'real' living wage has almost doubled in one year.

The real living wage is a voluntary rate of pay calculated by economists intended to reflect the real cost of living. It is more than the UK Government's definition of a living wage.

Championed by the Living Wage Foundation, the real living wage is currently set at £11.05 per hour in London and £9.90 for the rest of the UK.

The UK Government mandated National Living Wage (which is only applicable to those aged 23 and older) stands at a flat £9.50 and there is no different rate for those in London.

Last year, there were 10 employers in the Vale of Glamorgan that had committed to paying the real living wage.

And this year this has increased to 19, as off the end of May 2022.

This could be because of the extra scrutiny over finances due to the cost of living crisis.

As bills and food costs add up, workers have asked employers for a rise in pay that acknowledges the sharp rise in inflation.

Some workers have gone on strike when these demands have not been met, such as the recent RMT strikes.

Similar strikes are likely in the future, with the Bank of England predicting that inflation will reach 13 per cent in the fourth quarter of the year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We know the pressures people are facing with rising costs, which is why we have continually taken action to help households by phasing in £37 billion worth of support.

"In the long-term, we are committed to building a high skilled, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work."

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said the cost-of-living crisis has made increasing wages for the low-paid "more important than ever."

Ms Chapman said paying the living wage is not only "the right thing to do for struggling workers and families, but it’s also good for businesses, with employers benefitting from greater staff morale and productivity, and reduced staff absenteeism and turnover."

Thousands of employers across the UK have signed up to pay the real living wage, with the Living Wage Foundation announcing that more than 10,000 employers have committed to paying the wage.

This covers 350,000 - or one in every 13 - workers.

In Wales, there are 432 real living wage employers which is an increase from 100 in 2017.

The new rates for the living wage will be announced on Thursday, September 22.

Workers should receive the new rate by May 14, 2023.

Vale employers paying a real living wage

These are the accredited employers who have committed to paying the real living wage, as shown on the Living Wage Foundation website.

Newer employers who have committed to the scheme may have been missed on this list.

  • Lloyds Banking Group;
  • Barclays Bank;
  • Nationwide Building Society;
  • Oxfam;
  • Santander;
  • Lime Corporate Finance Ltd;
  • Forget-Me-Not Chorus;
  • Wealthify Ltd;
  • Barry Recovery Cymru Centre;
  • Barry Town Council;
  • Taste of Turner Ltd;
  • Awesome Wales Enterprises CIC;
  • Careers Wales;
  • Citizens Advice Cardiff and Vale;
  • Sparkles Cleaning Services;
  • Craft Republic;
  • Atlantic Pacific International Rescue;
  • Elizabeth-Anne Children's Wear Ltd;
  • Horizon Civil Engineering.