Telecoms specialist makes commitment to real Living Wage

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber member KAT Communications has made a commitment towards helping its staff to navigate their way through the cost of living crisis by becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer.

As an accredited employer, the telecoms specialist has committed to ensuring everyone working within the organisation, along with contractors employed by the business, will receive a minimum hourly wage significantly higher that the government’s minimum wage for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.

In recent years, KAT Communications and its staff have helped to raise thousands of pounds to support charitable organisations such as the Club Doncaster Foundation within South Yorkshire. In recent years the company was also an active member of  Doncaster Business for Community, which between 2017 and 2021 hosted  a range of fundraising events for local charities each year.

According to data published by the National Living Wage Foundation, more than 368,000 employees across Yorkshire and the Humber are paid less than the real Living Wage, the highest proportion anywhere in the UK. The foundation believes that if everyone within the region received a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work more than £165 million would be added to the regional economy.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011, the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

The currently real living wage is £10.90. The figure is due to be reviewed on 24^th October 2023 when the figure is expected to significantly increase.

Anthony Temperton, Managing Director, KAT Communications, said:

“We have always prided ourselves in doing our bit to support local charitable and community organisations, but we recognised that first and foremost we must do more to support our own employees and subcontractors

With more and more families finding themselves struggling to make ends meet, we felt compelled to act and we wanted to do something that not only supports those who work in the business, but also those businesses we work alongside. The real Living Foundation Wage recognises that every business has a responsibility to pay a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s pay, and by signing up, we hope to encourage more businesses across the region to pledge their support to this very important initiative. “

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation, said:

“We’re delighted that KAT Communications has joined the movement of nearly 14,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on. Our research out last week showed that 60% of people earning below the real Living Wage had used a foodbank in the past year and nearly 40% were regularly skipping meals.

They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like KAT Communications, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”

Launched in 2009 by telecoms expert Anthony Temperton, KAT Communications acts as a one-stop shop that helps SME business owners to navigate their way through the complex telecoms market. The company provides a range of services including phone systems, lines and calls, mobile voice and data, cloud technology and IT support.

The family-run business operates from sites in Doncaster and Scunthorpe, and through its customer first, technology second ethos, KAT Communications supports more than 300 businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber and is responsible for delivering more than 750,000 call minutes per month.