Personal care giant Unilever has become the 2000th business to become an accredited Living Wage employer, which means it will commit to paying staff at least the new voluntary Living Wage rate.

The current voluntary Living Wage rate of £8.25 per hour, rising from £7.85. This is significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.70 and the forthcoming minimum wage for over 25s of £7.20 which will come into effect in April 2016.

The new Living Wage will see 68,000 employees across the 2000 companies signed up to the scheme receive a pay rise.

Tim Munden, Human Resources Director at Unilever UK said, “As a company committed to making sustainable living commonplace we believe it is right to raise the floor on wages. That is why we have been committed to paying our UK employees at least a living wage for some time. We are therefore delighted to take this next natural step in gaining accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation; it underlines our commitment to a living wage approach across our supply chain and it will ensure that hundreds more people working with us will be paid the Living Wage by the end of next year.”

Companies signed up to the scheme will be paying employees a salary that is based on the cost of living.

Sarah Vero, Director Living Wage Foundation, said, “Today we are celebrating those 2,000 responsible businesses that are voluntarily paying the Living Wage to their staff,” said Sarah Vero, Director Living Wage Foundation. These employers are not waiting for Government to tell them what to do; their actions are helping to end the injustice that is in-work poverty in the UK now. The Living Wage is good for people and for business.”