Rotherham Federation Celebrates Commitment to Real Living Wage

Rotherham Federation has today accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Their Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at RotherFed receive a minimum hourly wage of £12, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.

RotherFed is based in Yorkshire and the Humber, the UK region with the highest proportion of non-Living Wage jobs in the country (15.8%), with over 368,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, RotherFed has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

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 460,000 people and put £3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Rotherham Federation has joined the movement of over 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.

“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 RotherFed, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”

About the Living Wage

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to take a stand by ensuring their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives.

The UK Living Wage is currently £12 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £13.15 per hour to reflect the higher costs of transport, childcare and housing in the capital. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.

The Living Wage Foundation is the organisation at the heart of the movement of businesses, organisations and individuals who campaign for the simple idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The Living Wage Foundation receives guidance and advice from the Living Wage Advisory Council. The Foundation is supported by our principal partners: Aviva; IKEA; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; KPMG; Linklaters; Nationwide; Nestle; Resolution Foundation; Oxfam; Trust for London; People’s Health Trust; and Queen Mary University of London.

What about the Government’s national living wage?

In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. It was introduced in April 2016, originally applying for all workers over the age of 25, is currently £10.42 an hour and applies for workers over the age of 23. The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rates are calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK.

Tenants Open Day

At the Tenants Open Day all Rotherham Federation member groups were put in a draw to win £500 for their group. 3 Winners were drawn by the Mayor of Rotherham, which were:

  • Aston TARA
  • Rotherham Sanjeet Choir
  • The Lings Monday Club

All the lucky winners will have the money paid into their groups accounts.

Congratulations to the winners.

Rotherham Federation of Communities (RotherFed) receives The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

RotherFed, based in Rotherham have just been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

RotherFed support communities in the Rotherham Borough to grow and develop, working with them to build their sense of belonging, community pride and spirit. They work with and through grassroots community groups that are committed to bringing communities together, giving all communities a voice and creating local solutions to local issues. Their work helps create communities that work and develops new and existing community-led groups which:

  • give everyone a voice
  • make communities happier places to live and work
  • help people to create local solutions to local issues
  • work together to create shared solutions to local problems

RotherFed is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including: a rural support group for farmers in Shropshire; a community magazine addressing isolation in the Western Isles; a running club engaging all ages in County Tyrone; a film academy and community hub based in South Wales, and a food bank in Greater London feeding vulnerable individuals and providing training opportunities.

Representatives of RotherFed will receive the award crystal and certificate from Professor Dame Hilary Chapman DBE Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire later this summer.

In addition, two volunteers from RotherFed will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this year’s Award. Phil Hayes CEO says “how delighted I am that our group’s work has been recognised, for what our volunteers have contributed to our communities over the last couple of years and beyond. I want to pay tribute to hard work and commitment of our incredible team.”

TPAS Awards 2021

The RotherFed Friendship Calls project was shortlisted for the “Excellence in Community Action Award” at the Annual Tpas Awards which took place on 8th October 2021, and we have been successful.

Our CEO, Phil Hayes, would like to say a big thank you to all our amazing volunteers that have given so much of their time up to help isolated people in our communities through some really difficult situations.
Also a huge thank you to all our staff team that have been involved in and created an incredible service through their passion, resilience and hard work.

Rotherham Federation Covid-19 Update

During the Covid-19 Pandemic Rotherham Federation are working with funders and contract providers to fulfil our commitment of Strengthening Communities in Rotherham. This is including changing how we work in order to comply with Government guidelines as well as safeguarding our members, staff and the community as a whole.

Public meetings have been cancelled or postponed and staff are working from home. You can still contact all staff by email and most staff on their mobiles and we will continue to be here.

Find out more information here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.rotherham.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.rotherhamgismo.org.uk

Visit these Facebook groups to keep in contact/keep up to date:

RotherFed Good News Stories

East Herringthorpe Coronavirus help

Ferham/Masbrough Coronavirus help

East Dene Coronavirus help

You can contact us on the numbers below:

Kathryn – 07940193592

Sarah – 07538625113

Rachel – 07983147948

Rob – 07538625150

Dan – 07507277945

Ian – 07495352311

Nadeem – 07399888035

Jane – 07399888034

Nicola – 07376666191

Laura – 07813543332

For general enquiries or if the staff member you are wanting is not on the list please call Laura or email info@rotherfed.org

Stay Home. Stay Safe.