The Scottish Government is halfway to achieving its target of having 500 employers paying the living wage.
A local council and a children’s nursery have become the latest organisations to commit to paying their staff the higher rate – currently set at £7.85 an hour in Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is the second local authority to become an accredited living wage employer and is joined by Riverside Cottage Nursery in Bathgate, West Lothian.
With 250 employers across Scotland now paying the living wage, Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “The Scottish Government is committed to fairness and supporting those on the lowest incomes.
“We recognise the real difference the living wage can make to working people and are leading by example by becoming the first accredited government in the UK earlier this month.
“We have been working closely with the Poverty Alliance to encourage employers to seek living wage accreditation and I am very pleased that we have already reached the halfway point of our target of 500 by next March.”
Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance, congratulated both the council and the nursery.
He said: “By signing up to the accreditation initiative, Dumfries and Galloway Council have ensured that all of their of employees will always get paid at least the living wage.
“Riverside Cottage Nursery’s accreditation as Scotland’s 250th living wage employer is an important milestone for the Scottish living wage accreditation initiative.
“It is great to see more and more organisations – of all shapes and sizes -signing up to accreditation and recognising the role of employers in tackling in-work poverty.
“We are confident of meeting our target of 500 accredited living wage employers in Scotland by March and look forward to working with more employers over the coming months.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council leader Ronnie Nicholson said: “Our council considers the living wage as the single most important contribution to tackling poverty across the region.
“Dumfries and Galloway is the lowest-paid region in Scotland. I am proud that this council is playing its part in tackling that problem by delivering a living wage for our staff.”
Luke Addison, manager at Riverside Cottage Nursery, said: “We are thrilled to be recognised as a nursery which has fairness and equity for both children and staff deeply embedded in our ethos.
“We believe that in our changing, growing country, everyone and particularly businesses must take their responsibilities to society seriously.
“A progressive approach is important to us; we are one of few outdoor nurseries in Scotland and extremely proud to be a living wage employer.”