Encirc has been accredited as a Living Wage employer in Northern Ireland, with the accreditation making it one of just under 100 companies to have signed up to the voluntary scheme that recognises businesses that are committed to paying their staff the Real Living Wage.

This wage, outside of London, is set at £12 per hour, and is calculated at what it costs to “get by” by the Resolution Foundation.

Fiacre O’Donnell, Sustainability Director at Encirc, part of the Vidrala Group, welcomed the accreditation, saying: “It is important to us – we want Encirc to be a great place to work for all employees, and we would encourage other companies to sign up for the scheme.

“In that way, wage levels can be improved, and we can reduce the number of people being paid below the Real Living Wage.”

Encirc operates from three purpose-built sites – including Derrylin in Co. Fermanagh – and employs almost 2,000 employees.

Part of the Vidrala group, Encirc is a market leader in glass container design, manufacturing, bottling and logistics solutions for the United Kingdom, Irish and European food and beverages industries.

Mr. O’Donnell welcomed Mary McManus, Regional Manager for Living Wage NI, to its Derrylin factory recently to mark the accreditation.

Discussing her role, she said: “It is to encourage more companies to sign up as Living Wage employers, committing to pay their directly employed and indirectly employed staff the real Living Wage.

“The official wage figures for last year show that 15.6 per cent of employees in Northern Ireland were paid below the Real Living Wage, which is the third-highest in the United Kingdom.”

Revealing that there are currently more than 15,000 companies in the United Kingdom signed up to the Living Wage scheme – but that Northern Ireland is lagging behind – she continued: “That is why I am delighted to be here at Encirc to award them their accreditation as a company that pays the real Living Wage.

“It is our aim to increase the number of people receiving a real wage, and we want to encourage companies to follow Encirc’s lead and sign up to the accreditation scheme.

“The evidence shows that the Living Wage is not just good for employees, it is also good for business by improving retention, which cuts down on recruitment and training costs.”

Echoing her words, Mr. O’Donnell added: “We wish Mary well in her role to tackle this important societal issue here in Northern Ireland.”

You can find out more about signing up as a Living Wage employer at https://tinyurl.com/46w2ye8b.