A PEEBLESSHIRE firm is one of only three in the Borders to be registered with an accreditation scheme for employers who pay their staff the living wage of £7.85 an hour.
Breadshare, a bakery producing organic bread at Lamancha, has been given a plaque to acknowledge its membership of the initiative which was launched in Scotland 18 months ago.
Organised by the Poverty Alliance, the scheme works in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and is funded by the Scottish Government.
In answer to a written question in Holyrood last week, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, cabinet secretary for fair work, skills and training, gave a breakdown of accredited employers across Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
The Borders is not alone in having a single figure total with three local authorities – Moray, South Ayrshire and the Western Isles - having zero returns.
Each accredited employer is identified on the Scottish Living Wage website and, once licensed, receives a wall plaque to display to visitors.
Apart from Breadshare, so far the only plaques in this region have gone to TenTel, a broadband services provider in Selkirk and South of Scotland SNP MSP Paul Wheelhouse who has an office in Hawick.
According to the Scottish Living Wage website, bosses who pay the £7.85 hourly rate have experienced a 25% fall in absenteeism with 80% of employers stating the living wage has enhanced the quality of work of their staff. 
Two thirds of the bosses reported a “significant impact” on recruitment and retention within their organisation.
Ms Cunningham said: "Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, has highlighted that Scotland now has the highest public awareness of the Living Wage, and has a faster rate in terms of growth of number of Accredited Living Wage Employers than any other part of the UK. 
“More people in Scotland are paid the living wage than in any country in the UK."
There are now 1,100 living wage employers in the UK, including 318 in Scotland.