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Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale MSP paid a visit to tech repair chain and accredited Living Wage employer SimplyFixIt.
Dugdale made the trip to Forrest Road to show her support for growing businesses in Scotland.
SimplyFixIt, which now has eight stores in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Corstorphine, claims it was technically the first ‘computer repair chain’ north of the border to become Living Wage accredited (however, retailer Utopia Computers became the first ‘PC retailer’ in Scotland to offer the Living Wage two years ago).
The voluntary Living Wage is tied to the standard of living rather than set by the government in the case of the ‘National Minimum Wage’.
Ms Dugdale said: “I would like to congratulate SimplyFixIt on becoming the first PC repair specialist in the UK to pay the Living Wage to its staff.
“They understand that paying the Living Wage not only benefits the employee but also their business and society as a whole. There is strong evidence to show that organisations and businesses who pay the Living Wage record lower levels of absenteeism, increased staff retention and productivity.
“I hope many of the bigger tech companies operating on our high streets follow the example set by SimplyFixIt.”
While at the shop, set in the heart of the ongoing Edinburgh Festival, Ms Dugdale was presented with a brand new iPad Pro by staff at the shop, congratulating her on her recent engagement.
Scott Wilkinson, business development manager at SimplyFixIt, said: “We were delighted that Kezia Dugdale brought in a repair job to a Living Wage accredited employer and got the chance to hear about the work that we do here."
View more images of Kezia Dugdale’s SimplyFixIt store visit here:
Getting to grips with some tech repair herself, Kezia took the lead from a staff member at the store, helping to solder a sorry looking iPhone
A Poverty Alliance representative also joined the meeting and welcomed the Scottish Labour leader’s support and the commitment to the voluntary Living Wage by the Edinburgh-based repair shop.
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, commented: “Paying the Living Wage not only has benefits to the individual employees but also businesses and wider society.
“Evidence from other Living Wage employers shows that receiving the Living Wage allows their staff to enjoy a better quality of living, whether that means being able to set aside a few extra pounds every month to save for their future or being able to spend more time with friends and family.”
SimplyFixIt started as a PC retailer in Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield area and now has added a new branch in Glasgow’s Bath Street. All of its outlets specialise in the repair of smart phones, tablets, laptops and both Apple and Microsoft Windows based computers.
It says its staff are vitally important to the long term health of the business, which recently announced record turnover of £4.2 million.
To date more than 570 companies have been accredited with living wage status by the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initaitive.
