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CELTIC are now paying their staff the living wage after sustained pressure from fans.

Around 100 employees at the Glasgow club now earn a minimum £8.25 an hour.

Hundreds more casual staff will also see their pay rise to above the living wage threshold.

It marks a victory by fans groups in their long-running campaign to convince Parkhead executives to bring in the rate.

Celtic staff were previously paid £7.85 per hour.

(Image: SNS Group)

But financial papers reveal that amount was increased by 40p in July this year.

Supporters at the Celtic Trust said that “progress has been made – small though it is”.

But it will continue to campaign for the club to become fully accredited living wage employers.

A spokesman said: “The lowest paid workers have now been paid more than they would have been without this campaign and we are delighted about that.

“We hope you will continue to support us, and that, unless national political developments overtake it, we will soon be able to say that our club is an Accredited Living Wage employer

“We think Brother Walfrid would have wanted that, don’t you?”

The club was founded by Brother Walfrid on November 6, 1887, to combat poverty in Glasgow’s east end by raising money for charity.

(Image: SNS Group)

The Celtic board came under fire at last year’s AGM for not adopting rates set out by Living Wage Foundation.

Chairman Ian Bankier said it was “not in the interests” of the club to pay the living wage.

Celtic also said joining the living wage scheme would mean “handing over decision making on salaries to another agency”.

However, fellow Premiership side Hearts joined the scheme alongside 380 Scottish employers.

Shareholders and the Celtic Trust supported a resolution that the board take “all necessary steps” to introduce the living wage.

Fans accused the club of “penny pinching of the worst kind” to do the “absolute minimum”.

But the £8.25 rate was introduced on July 1, as revealed by company records.

Meanwhile, the directors’ overall salary costs rose by 20 per cent due an ill health payment to former financial chief Eric Riley.

Celtic FC did not respond to a request for comment.