Allan Brothers setting the benchmark

Timber window and door manufacturer Allan Brothers has pledged to pay its workers the ‘Real Living Wage’ at its Ord Road factory in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The company, which employs 87 staff, is the first manufacturing business in Berwick-upon-Tweed (and the third in Northumberland) to sign up to this voluntary benchmark, which is set by the Living Wage Foundation according to the ‘real’ cost of living rather than the Government’s lower rate.

This means that all Allan Brothers employees will be guaranteed a minimum income of £12.00 an hour which, based on a 38-hour week, equates to £23,712 a year (whereas the Government’s National Living Wage, currently set at £11.44 an hour, based on the same working week would equate to £22,605 per year and for 18 to 20-year-olds just £8.60 per hour which would be £16,993 a year).

Morten Bach Valsted, Allan Brothers Managing Director, said: “We’re proud to be an accredited Real Living Wage Employer. We appreciate that the cost-of-living crisis is causing a great deal of hardship for many people, so we wanted to make sure that our employees are better rewarded for their hard work.”

Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Allan Brothers is joining our movement of over 14,000 responsible employers across the UK, who have committed to pay all their workers the only wage rate based on what people actually need to live.

“Research shows that if just a quarter of low-paid workers were uplifted to the Real Living Wage, regions across the UK like the North East would see increases in productivity and a significant economic boost.”

The Real Living Wage accreditation is the cornerstone of Allan Brothers’ wider commitment to improving working conditions and staff development.

“To safeguard job security, we are investing in a training programme, which will enable employees to work in different types of positions within the factory,” said Morten. “In addition, production operatives are being given the opportunity to upgrade their skills. To give one example, all our paint operatives have undertaken a six-month training programme to become highly skilled technical sprayers which comes with a higher salary.”

The company’s recent investment in new factory machinery is expected to further increase training and development opportunities for staff as well as generate the need to recruit more apprentices in the sales, engineering, and machining departments.

“We are working with local colleges and job centres so that we can offer young people the best chance to earn a fair Real Living Wage and to build their futures in a successful local manufacturing company.”

www.allanbrothers.co.uk