The University of Sussex campus in autumn

People who work at the University of Sussex have been guaranteed that they will be paid at least the Real Living Wage for the foreseeable future – which is higher than the National Minimum Wage – as the University has now been accredited as a Real Living Wage employer. The news comes as the Living Wage Foundation has today announced a 10.1% increase in the Real Living Wage to £10.90 per hour.

The University of Sussex has already been paying its employees the Real Living Wage, but in seeking to be officially accredited in this way, the University has voluntarily given a long term commitment to its staff that they will continue to be paid the Real Living Wage, at the very least. This aims to ensure that staff are paid a wage that is fair, can meet their everyday needs and will support them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.

The move will mean the University’s lowest paid employees will receive a boost in their pay. University employees will receive the increased rate from 1 October, rather than needing to wait until the changes officially come into effect in six months’ time. Those on campus who are employed by University of Sussex Students Union, Sussex Estates and Facilities and the Institute for Development Studies are also set to benefit from the uplifted Real Living Wage rate from 1 October. Chartwells, who already pay the Real Living Wage, are also bringing forward their planned annual uplift for staff on campus to 1 October, supported by the University.

Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sussex, said: 

“Whilst the University of Sussex has already been paying our staff the Real Living Wage, I am pleased that we have now gained accreditation as a Real Living Wage employer.  It is particularly important that we are implementing the nationally agreed increase in the Real Living Wage immediately, in order to support our lowest paid colleagues during current challenging economic conditions.

 “As part of our Sussex 2025 strategy, we aim to be known as a University that invests in our people, recruiting, developing, retaining and rewarding fairly our dedicated workforce. This accreditation and the rapid implementation of the increased Real Living Wage contribute to this making the University a better place to work.”

The University is now one of more than 800 accredited Real Living Wage employers in the Brighton area, and more than 10,000 countrywide who have committed to going further than the Government minimum in the interest of their employees.

Independently calculated each year based on living costs, the revised Real Living Wage is the only hourly rate calculated to help people meet their everyday needs. This rate is higher than the National Living Wage, the statutory amount calculated by the Government and the minimum amount an employer has to pay by law.