Minimum wage rise

[Cloverlady]

Originally Posted by Pino_Spetzberg

If the advantage of 'moving up the ranks' is wiped out by a small increase in minimum wage, it's a tough realisation they have not really 'moved up the ranks' at all.
Slight pay rises for taking on extra responsibility or a heavier workload often turn out to be more imagined than real.

Keeping lowest paid workers on poverty pay to protect differentials belongs to the Victorian mill owners.

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She walks our dogs and works part time there, and was having a little moan. Luckily for her and her boyfriend (our son's friend) they are both graduating next year from Uni as Radiologists so won't be affected long term.
She works there part time as I say, but there are obviously full time employees there working beside her doing the best they can to get on in the company, and I do feel for them, as well as other low paid workers in other employment roles

[Stew_the_red]

so minimum wage goes up which in turn means the cost of stuff goes up and you wonder why inflation is getting out of control.

Luckily my staff are paid more then the national living wage but I feel for the small businesses that don't and need to increase costs or reduce profit margins, just at a time when people are stating about the cost of fuel, energy etc is going up, if only a business knew how it felt to have gas, electric, water and fuel bills...

[djewkes]

Probably shouldn’t say this but………National living wage is going up 6.6%, a 40 hour week will pay around 1,600 a month…..which is the minimum a person can live on…..
So the state pension is going up 3.1% after the breaking of the triple lock to about £760 a month………bills etc are rising at horrendous rates but the government in its wisdom thinks that the elderly can survive on half the amount that others can……and not everyone has additional income……

[Tink Tina]

Originally Posted by Cloverlady

What about those who have worked hard and had payrises and promotions (son's friend's girlfriend who works in a supermarket ) to earn just about that now.
That wipes out her advantage.
I guess there are loads in this position in the lower paid jobs who work bloomin' hard to try to go up the ranks and suddenly all the staff are at the same pay level.
I doubt companies are going to be able to afford to increase all of the promoted staff's wages to the same advantage it was before.
It's those I feel for.

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I’ve worked in retail for many years and this has been my argument for the last few years. I’ve worked hard for my pay and new starters come in on practically the same rate!
Where’s the justice in that! Unfortunately my pay doesn’t increase at the same percentage, a few pence if I’m lucky!

[buryboy]

Originally Posted by Moorlandman

Better they close than having tax payers subsidising their staffs wages with tax credits

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Ah yes , close some firms so people don’t have jobs and the taxpayer has to pay all their income rather than just a small portion of it

[levtweeney]

The closing of businesses due to the increase in minimum/living wages is a common theme that gets thrown out there every time the country have a rise. This does not normally happen. That’s not to say it never happens but I remember when the minimum wage was first brought in. Companies the length and breadth of the U.K. were screaming their loudest that millions would lose their jobs. It never happened, it has not happened every rise in minimum wages since then.

Then you get those who say inflation will rise and wipe out the wage rise so why bother, then there is those who will say well the rise will be sucked up with other tax rises.

The wage rise is an excellent thing. Excellent

[Tinks2014]

Originally Posted by Tink Tina

I’ve worked in retail for many years and this has been my argument for the last few years. I’ve worked hard for my pay and new starters come in on practically the same rate!
Where’s the justice in that! Unfortunately my pay doesn’t increase at the same percentage, a few pence if I’m lucky!

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I work in retail and most people work really hard .The injustice is the low pay in the first place.

[Loftus]

We get many posts here complaining about benefit scroungers and the like.

But if a company can't exist without the country subsidising the wages of it's workers so that they can afford to live that's just another form of benefit, only it's corporate rather than individual.

I understand the logic behind the policy but let's recognise it for what it is.

[Tinks2014]

Originally Posted by Pino_Spetzberg

If the advantage of 'moving up the ranks' is wiped out by a small increase in minimum wage, it's a tough realisation they have not really 'moved up the ranks' at all.
Slight pay rises for taking on extra responsibility or a heavier workload often turn out to be more imagined than real.

Keeping lowest paid workers on poverty pay to protect differentials belongs to the Victorian mill owners.

See more...

This is the reality especially in retail.

[mitch84]

Originally Posted by levtweeney

The closing of businesses due to the increase in minimum/living wages is a common theme that gets thrown out there every time the country have a rise. This does not normally happen. That’s not to say it never happens but I remember when the minimum wage was first brought in. Companies the length and breadth of the U.K. were screaming their loudest that millions would lose their jobs. It never happened, it has not happened every rise in minimum wages since then.

Then you get those who say inflation will rise and wipe out the wage rise so why bother, then there is those who will say well the rise will be sucked up with other tax rises.

The wage rise is an excellent thing. Excellent

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It’s a very good thing for those on minimum wage, even if costs of goods/services go up at least they can keep up. That is incredibly important. People deserve to be able to afford to feed their family/heat their house.

Unfortunately the differential issue is a real issue. My main client is a national food retailer, we had cleaners on nmw, but cleaning supervisors, security guards, front of house staff on much higher. The last differential will be gone at this latest rise and all will be on minimum wage. It’s very sad for these more skilled roles, that have worked their bum off. But cost of food has gone through the roof, and they can’t put all items up 6.6% this year, 2.2% last year, over 6% the year before as the majority of the population have not had their pay increased.

I’m middle management and my husband is self employed and earning the PA. My salary was cut initially with Covid, then has remained the same. Huge chunks of the population have had pay freezes if not pay cuts.

We’re thankfully absolutely fine. But what about all those people who maybe already earned £9.50 an hour, food is increasing, petrol is increasing, heating bills are increasing, they haven’t had a payrise in 3 years, have a mortgage and a family.

Pubs/restaurants/shops are closing. I even went to supposedly wealthy Alderley edge recently to click and collect something as we needed it urgently. I went for a walk round with the dog whilst my husband went to the Argos and one in 4 shop fronts were closed/boarded.

If we aren’t careful most people won’t be able to afford any luxuries. A pint in the pub, a sandwich out, a cleaner, nails done etc. All non essential yes, but whole industries are built on those services

It’s a very difficult one, but I just hope the budget is more balanced than just upping NMW