We are delighted to announce that both Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance (ODBF) and Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE) have been accredited as a Living Wage Employer. The move formalises our 2017 commitment to pay staff the real Living Wage and signals the importance the diocesan family places on social justice and addressing inequality.
The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living. It is recalculated each year and is currently set at £10.90 per hour in the UK, with a higher rate of £11.95 for London.
The real Living Wage accreditation for the Diocese of Oxford and Oxford Diocesan Board of Education is linked to our vision to become a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God’s world. By joining over 11,000 like-minded organisations who voluntarily choose to pay the real Living Wage, we’re not only affirming our commitment to pay people fairly and enough to cover everyday costs, but we are also making clear the need for a just and fair society for all.
“It is a moral imperative to improve the number of people in quality employment; to end low pay and working poverty; to ensure good working conditions and fair pay for all. We want our employees to feel valued and fairly paid for work well done, and one way of achieving that is to pay the real living wage. Since 2017, we have ensured that anyone engaging in our activities who is working full-time did not struggle to make ends meet and have paid the real living wage. I hope that our news will encourage many other employers to do the same.”
– Poli Shajko, Director of HR and Safeguarding.
Accreditation of ODBF (Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance) and ODBE (Oxford Diocesan Board of Education) coincides with news that the diocese is currently building a Living Wage Action Team with partners Citizens UK to call on health and care providers to pay their employees a real living wage.
Keith Hebden, Senior Organiser with Thames Valley Citizens said, “We’re delighted to see that the Diocese of Oxford is taking a lead in our new Living Wage Campaign. The Diocese was our first Strategic Partner for building Thames Valley Citizens, one of our first Strategic Partners, nationally, for ‘Homes for Ukraine’ and now they are trailblazing on the real Living Wage too.”
For a list of every organisation that believes a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay, visit livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-map
Notes for editors
- Our real Living Wage accreditation includes a commitment to ensuring all third-party contractors that we work with are also living wage employers.
- The Living Wage Foundation recently announced the real living wage hourly rate increases by 10.1% to £10.90 across the UK (and to £11.95 in London), reflecting the rising cost of living.
- The Diocese of Oxford has always prioritised issues of poverty and inequality through its social justice work. Find out more at oxford.anglican.org/poverty-and-inequality
- To find out more about the Living Wage Action team call on health and care providers, please get in touch with Keith Hebden, Community Organiser for the Thames Valley
- For media enquiries, please visit oxford.anglican.org/media-centre