A COMMUNITY energy firm based at Saltaire claims to be one the first SME’s in Yorkshire to be approved as a Living Wage employer.

Switch2 Energy, which employs 130 people at its Saltaire headquarters and its central London office, said it has made the move to reward deserving staff.

All of Switch2’s permanent and contract staff will receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.25 and £9.40 in London.

This is well above the national minimum wage of £6.70 and the new minimum wage premium for over 25s of £7.20 per hour.

Kirsty Lambert, Switch2 director, said: “We have committed to the Living Wage because we think that our people deserve to be paid fairly for their commitment, loyalty and hard work.

“It’s our duty as a responsible employer to ensure that wages are in line with the actual cost of living, and we are proud to gain accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.

“We have been in business for more than 30 years. Our people are the foundation of our business and we believe in looking after them so that they stay and grow with us.

“We also provide staff with a range of benefits, including private health and dental care, life assurance and an option to sacrifice pay for extra holiday.”

Living Wage Foundation director, Katherine Chapman added: “We are delighted to welcome Switch2 Energy Limited to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.

“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.”

Switch2 specialises in metering and billing for the community heating sector and is a fast growing business with its manufacturing operation and national headquarters and service centre based at the Waterfront, next to Salts Mill.

The company opened its central London office last year as it marked its 35th anniversary to capture a larger share of the capital’s fast growing low carbon energy market.

Switch2 is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of metering and billing technologies and services for monitoring energy usage, enabling residents to pay for only what they use and helping to cut energy consumption.