Ocean Holidays Group has become an accredited Living Wage employer, meaning all full-time staff earn a minimum of £23,000 per year.
The Romford-based business, which has more than 150 employees, joins almost 9,000 other UK companies which have voluntarily signed up to pay their employees a “real living wage”.
This hourly rate of pay is based on the cost of living, determined each year by the Living Wage Foundation.
The rate is higher than the government’s national minimum wage or the national living wage.
It is currently £9.90 in the UK, with a higher rate of £11.05 for London, reflecting the higher costs of living in the capital.
The government’s national living wage for those aged over 23 is currently £8.91, and £8.36 for the unde-23s, with no London weighting.
Karen Sheehan, Ocean Holidays Group head of people, said: “We view this step as an important means of us encouraging more young people to work in the travel industry by offering them a more meaningful salary.”
In the last year, the group has employed two apprentices, and took on two employees through the government’s Kickstart Scheme before it was closed in December 2021.
Sheehan said the group overs apprentices under 18 a wage that is 60% more than the government apprentice minimum wage.
“By investing in our people, at all levels, not only is it the right thing to do, but we have seen better staff retention levels and been able to attract a greater calibre of new recruits,” she added.
Ocean Holidays Group recently announced new programmes to champion diversity and inclusion, sustainability and community.