A cleaning company that specialises in working at height has been honoured for paying employers the London Living Wage.
CAM Specialist Support won London Borough of Lewisham’s Employer of the Year award in recognition of its commitment to staff.
The mandatory National Living Wage comes into effect from April next year and will see workers aged 25 and above being paid at an hourly rate initially set at £7.20 – a rise of 50p on the current National Minimum Wage rate.
The Living Wage Foundation is a movement that calculates the rate according to the cost of living, rather than earnings which is the method used by government.
It encourages employers to pay on a voluntary basis – £8.25 an hour, rising to £9.40 in London, the rate applied at CAM.
CAM is only one of two private sector organisations in Lewisham accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
Matt Johnson, managing director, said: “We pay the Living Wage because we believe it is the right thing to do morally.
“I want everyone who works here to be able to feed and clothe their families and not be worrying about in-work poverty.
“As well as the moral benefits, we’ve found that there are commercial returns as staff are more loyal and flexible when they are being treated with respect, reducing recruitment time and costs.”
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