How to find Living Wage suppliers and collaborators

Do you check if your suppliers pay their teams and contractors the real Living Wage?

For 2/3rds of Brighton & Hove Living Wage employers, it’s something they consider before going ahead with new suppliers for their business.

But if this is something you’re already doing, or would like to start doing as part of working with new suppliers and collaborators, how do you find out if someone is committed to paying the Living Wage?

Here are three ways to check if your suppliers and collaborators are committed to paying their teams the real Living Wage.

1. Find local Living Wage employers on our directory

If you’re looking at working with suppliers or collaborators who are based in Brighton & Hove, you can check whether a local business is signed up to the Living Wage Campaign on our directory.

Brighton Chamber has been running the campaign for 12 years; and, with over 900 businesses in Brighton & Hove signed up – they all have a listing on our business directory (that’s 900 businesses to work with that you may be missing out on, if you’re not signed up to the campaign).

Have a browse for local suppliers by category, alphabetically, or just by search here.

2. Check on the national Living Wage Foundation website

You might be looking at working with suppliers or collaborators that are based outside of the Brighton & Hove area.

As well as local campaigns (just like this one!) there’s a National Living Wage Foundation. They help to set the annual wage each year, and have their own directory of national organisations signed up to pay the Living Wage.

Sometimes if it’s a bigger or national organisation you’re working with, they might be more likely to be signed up to the national campaign – even if they have offices locally. Have a look on the National Living Wage Foundation’s website to see who’s signed up to the national campaign, here.

3. Can’t find a business listed?

From sustainability to social impact, more and more businesses are starting to examine their supply chains and the impacts of the businesses that they work with day to day.

You might already ask a supplier what their businesses practices are around sustainability – so why not ask about their social and economic impact? Ask your suppliers if they are paying their employees the real Living Wage as part of your procurement process.

If they’re not signed up (or they may already be paying their teams the real Living Wage but aren’t signed up to the campaign) – help spread the word! Getting other like-minded businesses involved in the campaign helps to elevate wages in our economy and bring together a community of like-minded, values-led businesses helping to make Brighton a great place to work and live.

The Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign is run by Brighton Chamber – the only business-led initiative of its kind in the UK.

If you’re not signed up to the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign, you could be missing out on working with more than 900 like-minded businesses in our city. Find out more here (it’s free to sign up!)

Photo by Stuart Robinson, University of Sussex.