National Express workers to be paid voluntary living wage

Transport giant National Express is to pay its staff the voluntary living wage, giving a pay rise for hundreds of workers.

The company said it will be the first private transport group to pay the voluntary rate of £8.25 an hour and £9.40 in London.

The voluntary rate is higher than the new national living wage of £7.20 an hour for over-25s from April.

National Express said workers in its bus division will be paid the living wage immediately, while those in the coach and rail divisions will follow by the end of 2017.

National Express group chief executive Dean Finch said: "Our staff do a great job helping hundreds of thousands of people get to work and school and to see their family and friends every day.

"We are always looking at what more we can do to recognise this hard work and being a living wage employer in the UK testifies to our determination to be the best possible employer."

Sarah Vero, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: "It's fantastic news that National Express has been accredited as a living wage employer and we look forward to working with them as they roll out the living wage to their directly employed team, and their contracted staff, across their bus, coach and rail businesses. Over 2,000 organisations are now accredited living wage employers across the UK.

"National Express is the first private transport group to accredit, and we hope their announcement today, and the leadership that they are showing, will lay down a marker in the transport sector.

"The voluntary living wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, going above the statutory minimums and rewarding a hard day's work with a fair day's pay."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "I welcome National Express' decision to become a living wage employer. This important step will have a real impact and demonstrates the success of our transport sector."