A HOST of Reading businesses are backing a pledge which promises to pay workers a fair wage.

Companies including Deloitte, Lush, Berkshire Age UK, Barclays, KPMG, Oxfam, and Save the Children have signed up as Living Wage employers, which recommends that people should be paid £7.65 an hour outside of London.

During last month’s Tackling Poverty conference, Reading Borough Council pledged to continue to work towards the living wage accreditation by working with contractors and employers to achieve Reading’s living wage of £7.71 an hour - which is already guaranteed to council employees.

Rhys Moore, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “By looking out for the Living Wage badge, you can choose to support businesses that are doing right thing. It works just like Fairtrade and will grow even faster with consumer support.”

Dominic Johnson, employee relations director at Barclays, said paying the rate had improved retention rates for its cleaners.

He added: “Early research on the impact of the Living Wage for cleaners on Barclays’ contracts shows our suppliers have a 92% retention rate, versus an industry average of 35%.”

Labour leader Ed Miliband last month said if his party wins the next election, it will offer firms a 12-month tax break in 2016 if they agree to pay the living wage.

The legal UK minimum wage is £6.31 an hour, and Green councillor Rob White added: “The council has done a good job at making sure people who are directly employed by us are on at least a living wage. Getting accredited as a Living Wage Employer would demonstrate our local leadership and commitment to tackling poverty.”