FDBusiness.com

Nestlé UK has become a Principal Partner of the Living Wage Foundation, as the first major manufacturer accredited as a Living Wage employer. This new role demonstrates the company’s commitment to the Foundation and will enable Nestlé to champion the benefits of the Living Wage to help encourage other employers to sign up to the scheme.

The role of the Principal Partner is to provide strategic advice and support to the Living Wage Foundation, helping to guide the development of the Foundation as it grows.

This new status follows the announcement earlier this year that Nestlé is the first major manufacturer to receive accreditation as a Living Wage employer in the UK.

This accreditation covers approximately 8,000 employees across Nestlé UK and its sister companies, which include: Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Waters, Nestlé Purina Petcare, Cereal Partners and Nespresso. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to the Nestlé Youth Employment Initiative the Living Wage also applies to the company’s graduate,  internship and Fast Start school leaver programmes.

All staff employed directly by Nestlé UK are already paid the Living Wage. The Company is now working closely with contractors to ensure that their employees working across Nestlé sites will also be paid the UK Living Wage by December 2017.

Nestlé worked in partnership with its trade union partners, Unite, GMB and USDAW on the journey towards accreditation.

Nestlé UK & Ireland Group HR Director, Matt Stripe says: “As a major UK employer we know that acting responsibly is not only good for the communities we operate in, but also makes good business sense. Supporting the Foundation as a Principal Partner underlines our belief that people are at the heart of our business. We are proud to be the first mainstream manufacturer in the UK to become a Living Wage employer and see this as an opportunity to be a positive influence in our sector.”

Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore says: “We are very pleased to welcome Nestlé to the Principal Partners group of the Living Wage Foundation. The Partners provide invaluable support and guidance to the Foundation, sharing their business knowledge to help us grow and accredit more responsible businesses as Living Wage employers. Being able to work with highly regarded business leaders, such as Nestlé, gives further credibility to our work within the corporate community. We believe that work should pay, a belief echoed by all our Principal Partners and over 1,000 living Wage employers.”