Award-winning Norwich-based care provider Black Swan Care Group has renewed its commitment to providing the Real Living Wage to all of its employees. From 1st April 2024, all Black Swan staff will be paid at least the Real Living Wage of £12.00 per hour. Well over half of its staff are paid in excess of this amount.
Black Swan provides care and support to over 700 people in 22 residential care homes in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire employing nearly 900 people.
Tom Lyons, Black Swan’s Managing Director explained: “Our staff deserve to be rewarded with fair and reasonable pay, reflecting their hard work and dedication in whatever their role they undertake in our homes. We’re delighted to renew our commitment and to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation in giving our staff a wage that meets everyday needs and sits above the statutory Government minimum wages.”
What is the Real Living Wage?
The UK Government sets minimum wage rates for the UK workforce. The new National Living Wage, starting in April 2024 is £11.44 for anyone over 21 years of age. The Real Living Wage, at £12.00 per hour for anyone over the age of 18, is a voluntary rate paid by UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage that meets everyday needs. This rate comes into force on 1st April 2024.
The hourly rate is set using a calculation based on the cost of living, centred around the cost of a basket of goods and services, set by the UK Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/consumer-price-inflation-basket-of-goods-and-services-2024.