A coal merchant who has been recognised as a ‘Jersey Living Wage’ employer has urged other business owners to seek the accreditation – highlighting the importance of the campaign “in the current economic climate”.
Trevor Bechelet of Patch Distributors spoke after securing the accreditation from Caritas Jersey, which is licensed by the Living Wage Foundation in the UK to manage and co-ordinate the promotion of a “living wage” in the island.
The rate, which is separate from the minimum wage – that rose to £13 per
hour in April – takes into account the cost of living, taxes and the value of benefits available to working people on low incomes.
It is currently set at £14.13 per hour.
Mr Bechelet said: “No matter what your industry, your staff must be treated with respect. There’s not a job that my staff do that I haven’t done myself, so we have that mutual respect that passes onto to our customers through a happy workforce.”
He continued: “It can’t stop there, however; what they get in their pockets is of course very important also; we all have bills to pay, and higher ones at that in the current economic climate, it’s important my staff feel valued in this respect, which they are.
“The Living Wage scheme not only gives my staff a proper living wage, but it also involves me making sure that when I’m using outside workers for other work on my premises, that I use a firm that pay their staff the Jersey Living Wage also, so it’s a very good process that benefits all workers and business models involved in this scheme.”
He added that the island “can only benefit as a whole” if more business owners sought the accreditation.
Caritas Jersey CEO Patrick Lynch, said: “We are very happy to announce Patch Distributors as the latest Jersey Living Wage Employer.
“We thank Trevor and Patch for their dedication to, and support of, the Jersey Living Wage Campaign.”
He added: “We echo Trevor’s call for more businesses to follow his example and join the Jersey Living Wage Campaign to ensure happy workforces and by extension, successful businesses.”