Chelsea has become the first professional football club to be accredited as a Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation, the club said yesterday.
The accreditation means that from January, Chelsea will pay all its directly employed staff a living wage – £9.15 an hour in London and £7.85 outside the capital.
The rate is substantially higher than the current national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour. The club said it had also started a process to guarantee living wage rates to all its external contractors.
As a responsible employer, we are proud of this significant achievement for the club, said Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck. We believe the move to the living wage underlines our commitment to ensuring that all our employees receive a fair rate of pay for their hard work and dedication.
London Mayor Boris Johnson commented: Our great football teams are household names around the world, their every action is scrutinised in microscopic detail and by becoming the first professional sports team to commit to pay the London living wage, Chelsea are setting the right example.
