Scottish Water has received its official accreditation as a Living Wage Employer - all its employees have been paid above the living wage since 2011.

The accreditation follows Scottish Water recently being named as Large Scottish Employer of the Year 2015.

Shirley Campbell, Scottish Water’s Director of People, Workplace and Organisational Development, said:

“Making Scottish Water a great place to work – while developing our 3,500 employees to their full potential – ensures we can deliver the excellent service on which all our customers around Scotland depend.”

“We’re passionate about attracting and developing the next generation of people to work in the water industry in Scotland. We’ve created qualifications, modern apprenticeships, graduate schemes and other career development opportunities.

“Our commitment to employees has been underpinned by ensuring all our people have been paid above the Living Wage since 2011. We’re delighted to now formally achieve accreditation to mark Living Wage Week, which builds on the work we’ve been doing to play a positive role in the lives of our customers and our people.”

Commenting on the news, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training Roseanna Cunningham, said:

“Scottish Water is a significant employer in Scotland and today’s announcement sends a strong signal to employers that paying the Living Wage is both achievable and desirable.”

“The Scottish Government encourages employers across all sectors to pay the Living Wage. We know that paying the Living Wage is good for business, good for the individual and good for society and this is an important landmark in our drive to have at least 500 accredited employers by March next year. With so many employers signing up in the last year alone, thousands of Scottish employees have received a pay rise, and the announcement of this new rate of £8.25 earlier this week will be further welcome news.”