Parish of St. Peter becomes Living Wage employer

Tuesday 06 June 2023

The Parish of St. Peter has been accredited as a Living Wage employer, meaning that it pays all parish workers at least £12.19 per hour.

Administered by charity Caritas, the Jersey Living Wage Campaign encourages workplaces to become living wage employers in order to help eradicate poverty in Jersey.

The aim of the Living Wage, which is currently set at £12.19 per hour, is to enable the average worker to live with dignity, rather than survive within the local community.

St. Peter Constable Richard Vibert said: "It is even more important when we consider that we have a rising cost of living and double-digit inflation. I would encourage any business seeking to achieve Accreditation to move to the Living Wage without delay during the challenging times."

He added: "Ensuring that all Parish employees are paid the Living Wage was one of my aims when I was elected, and I hope that it re-affirms to everyone in the Parish team, that we are a caring employer."

The Living Wage is one of four key projects run by Caritas, which is also currently focusing on social inclusion, support for prisoners' families and homeless islanders.

Caritas CEO Patrick Lynch said: "A Living Wage is more important than ever for the many Islanders on low incomes and we look forward to details of when and how the commitment to move the minimum wage to parity with the Living Wage will take place for the benefit of all in our society."

He added: "We are very happy to accredit the parish of St. Peter as a Living Wage employer, especially as it is my home parish.

"I thank the Constable, the procurers and especially Liz Cheetham, the Parish Secretary, for their work with us."