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Join us for this information seminar that will provide more information on the real Living Wage and how to sign up.

Female workers disproportionately affected with 138,000 of 224,000 workers paid below the Real Living Wage. £47 million boost for the NI economy if a quarter of low paid workers were paid Real Living Wage.

More than 100 employers across Northern Ireland have committed to paying the Real Living Wage, benefiting over 4,200 workers.

Almost half a million people, including over 4,200 in NI, working for more than 15,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the UK are set for a vital cost-of-living pay boost, as the real Living Wage rates rise to £12.60 an hour across the UK (60p or 5% increase).

USPCA and Clonard Credit Union among the latest to join the movement.

The accreditation covers all three of Encirc’s UK sites, thereby making it one of just under 100 companies to have signed up to the voluntary scheme that recognises businesses that are committed to paying their staff the Real Living Wage.

IN2 is a progressive engineering consultancy with offices in Belfast, Dublin, Athlone, Berlin and London. They specialise in MEP design, building services and sustainability solutions. They make better spaces for people.

Our Head of Policy, Kevin Higgins, spoke to BBC Radio Foyle about the real living wage in Northern Ireland.

Advice NI highlights importance of advice services as local government is about to undergo significant change. Ahead of changes to local government in Northern Ireland, Advice NI has called upon local Councils to ensure that the work of independent advice services is recognised and protected.

Advice NI leads delivery of independent advice services across the current Castlereagh Borough Council area. The service involves face to face service provision by advisors locally deployed to service the Castlereagh outreach venues. Appeal tribunal representation services and dedicated money advice services are in place, a dedicated Freephone line has been established and an email advice facility is also in place.

In April 2015, as part of the reform of local government in Northern Ireland the number of councils will be reduced from 26 to 11. There will be significant changes with the majority of households in Castlereagh merging with Lisburn City Council with 38% of the population of Castlereagh and 21% of Lisburn moving to the new Belfast City Council. The new Castlereagh and Lisburn Council area will have approximately 137,000 residents and approximately 56,000 households.

Speaking about the service, Bob Stronge Advice NI Chief Executive said:

“Independent advice services are much-needed and highly valued by people across Northern Ireland. Advice NI and member organisations have a proven track record in providing excellent advice services across the community and we acknowledge the support and commitment shown by Councils to advice services. We look forward to working with the new Councils post RPA to similarly ensure that independent advice remains a key community service moving forward.”

Sands Northern Ireland Network (SandsNI) is the regional branch of SandsUK. Sands was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and in particular what they felt was a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss. Sands has around 100 support groups across the UK with 10 of these in Northern Ireland. All the support groups are run by trained Sands Befrienders who are bereaved parents themselves and have been supported through their grief by Sands and are now giving that support back to other parents.

Steven Guy, SandsNI Network Co-ordinator says

SandsNI provides support to bereaved parents through our monthly support evenings where parents can chat informally over a cup of tea or coffee about how they are coping with their loss. We also provide every maternity & neonatal unit in Northern Ireland with Sands leaflet packs and Memory Boxes. The Memory Boxes include a hand-knit blanket, 2(Identical) teddy bears, one for baby, one for the parents and an inkless hand & footprint kit. The boxes encourage parents to create as many memories of their baby as possible in the short time they have with them. Training, accredited by the Royal College of Midwives, is also provided to health professionals and is delivered by the SandsUK team of facilitators. We also support research into the causes of baby deaths and in 2014 £50,000 was donated by SandsNI to fund several SandsUK projects. We have a NI Helpline 07740993450 which is available during office hours for parents to speak to someone about their loss. We have a dedicated Baby Garden in Portadown where parents can lay a simple stone with their baby’s name hand-painted on it among the flowers and plants in the garden and next to the other babies stones. We also have 2 Christmas carol services, Portadown and Derry, where parents are invited to buy a toy or gift for the age their child would be each Christmas. These toys & gifts are donated to the St Vincent De Paul/ Salvation Army toy appeal. Everything we do is funded by the fundraising efforts of the parents we support and we are extremely grateful to everyone who fundraises for us because without their efforts we could not continue to support the parents who are bereaved every year in Northern Ireland.