Electricity North West has 14 depots throughout the region and employs nearly 2,000 people and supports hundreds of contractors.

Having recently received confirmation of its accreditation, Electricity North West has also made the commitment to only work with key framework contractors that pay the Real Living Wage or are working towards it.

It has also amended tender documents to make it a condition for any contractors who tender for work to be Real Living Wage employers or recognised service providers.

Rachael Parr, head of human resources at Electricity North West, said: “We’re delighted to receive accreditation for the Living Wage programme.

“As the region’s power network operator we value all of our employees and we believe fair pay for a day's work creates a positive working environment for all our people.

“As part of our accreditation we’ve also made the commitment to only working with key framework contractors who are either accredited, recognised service providers or working towards accreditation in the future.

“As a major employer in the North West we know that our decisions impact on the communities in which we live and work. We want to use our purchasing power to improve the earning potential of those within our communities and beyond not just those that work directly with us.

“It’s the right thing to pay the Real Living Wage and I hope more businesses throughout the North West follow suit.”

The Real Living Wage initiative was introduced by Government to promote a higher minimum wage limit for all employees over 18 years of age and it is designed to ensure that employees receive fair pay for the work that they do. They are independently-calculated based on what people need to get by.

To ensure it adheres to the requirements of a Living Wage Employer, Electricity North West will review its salaries annually and amend where needed.