Portsmouth’s cargo terminal Portico wins Living Wage Employer accreditation

The company’s Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Portico receive a minimum hourly wage of £10.90, higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.

The South East is a region where over 9% of all jobs pay less than the real Living Wage - around 374,000 jobs.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living.

It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum.

Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Melanie Bunting, HR business partner at Portico, said: ‘We know all our staff working across the business are essential for the continued success of Portico and the excellent service our customers receive.

‘By becoming an accredited real living wage employer it is the right thing to do by our staff. With many of our employees living in the local area, it will also benefit the local community as well.’

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation added: ‘We’re delighted that Portico has joined the movement of over 12,000 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 small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more.

‘These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Portico, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.’