Voluntary Action Coventry (VAC) is delighted to announce our commitment to the real living wage.
VAC has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Our Living Wage commitment means that everyone working at VAC (including over 18s) receives a minimum hourly wage of £13.45, higher than the government legal minimum for over 21s, which currently stands at £12.71 per hour.
The real Living Wage remains the only UK Wage rate calculated on the real cost of living. Voluntarily paid by over 16,000 UK businesses who have chosen to transform millions of people’s lives and raise the bar for what decent work looks like in the UK. It gives employers confidence that they are paying a wage that meets everyday needs. Nearly half a million employees have received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign. VAC is proud to join these accredited Living Wage employers.
Sue Ogle, Chief Executive Officer for VAC said:
“Here at VAC we stand for supporting social action and community resilience across Coventry. Becoming a Living Wage Employer reflects our values by ensuring our people are paid a wage that meets the real cost of living. Fair pay helps reduce inequality, supports wellbeing, and strengthens the communities we work alongside. We’re proud to join the Living Wage movement and play our part in building a fairer, more resilient Coventry.
Living Wage Foundation said: “We are delighted that Voluntary Action Coventry has joined the movement of over 16,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of organizations, as well as other local charities such as Clothing Coventry, Coventry Independent Advice Service (CIAS), Hope 4 The Community and many more. These charities recognize that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like VAC, believe that everyone needs to be able to live with dignity and have a reasonable standard of living.”
About the real Living Wage
What is the real Living Wage?
The Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage remains the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on the cost of living, rising annually based on living costs. It gives employers the confidence they are paying a wage that meets every day needs. The real Living Wage applies to all workers over 18 – in recognition that young people face the same living costs as everyone else. This year’s rates are £13.45 across the UK, and £14.80 in London. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in the UK and in London.
Over 16,000 accredited employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The campaign for a real Living Wage has secured over £4.1bn of pay rises for low paid workers and made a profound difference to millions of lives around the UK since it began 25 years ago. It enjoys cross party support.
About the Living Wage Foundation
The Living Wage Foundation is the organization at the heart of the independent movement of employers, people and communities who believe in work that works for everyone. Together they are driving up employment standards so that everyone has a decent standard of living now and in the future. Through the Living Wage, Living Hours, and Living Pension accreditations, they champion and celebrate employers who make an ongoing commitment to do the right thing by their employees by providing the security and freedom they need to thrive.
The Living Wage Foundation is part of Citizens UK.
What about the Government’s national living wage?
In July 2015, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’ (NLW). This new government rate was a new minimum wage for staff over 25 years old. It was introduced in April 2016, and the rate is £12.71 as of April 2025. From April 2024 it applies to everyone over 21 years old.
The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings, while the Living Wage Foundation rates remain the only ones calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK. A full-time worker paid the £13.45 real Living Wage will receive £1,443 in additional wages annually compared to the current Government minimum. For a full-time worker on the £14.80 London Living Wage this figure rises to £4,076.