The Reality of Working for a Supermarket in 2009/Return to Victorian Britain

tesuhoha

Mr_Mumble wrote: »

If paid labour is treated so badly and remunerated so poorly why don't middle-class families have half-a-dozen servants like they did in Victorian Britain?

Answers on a postcard to the folks who say the gap between "rich" and "poor" is growing.

The answer to that is that they do. There are many employed, especially migrants, as servants to middle class families in this country.
,
I dont have to put it on a postcard. You only have to watch the news. Graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs, so they take jobs lower down the scale. That pushes people out at the bottom. Companies are closing down every day, unemployment is growing. There arent enough jobs. There is a whole generation of school leavers who cannot find jobs. This year executives received a 10% pay rise, the bankers are still getting their bonuses. So yes, Id say the gap is growing.

i8change

If paid labour is treated so badly and remunerated so poorly why don't middle-class families have half-a-dozen servants like they did in Victorian Britain?

Who would want half-a-dozen people hanging around their house when there is no requirement to make fires, beat carpets and hand wash clothes nowadays?
Just someone to look after their offspring, during the day, and an occassional cleaner is the current norm for the well off.

ILW

inspector_monkfish wrote: »

whats it got to do with them?

If the Trades Union Congress (TUC) became the National Trades Union Congress, it would give dyslexics a bit of a laugh.

ILW

tesuhoha wrote: »

The answer to that is that they do. There are many employed, especially migrants, as servants to middle class families in this country.
,
I dont have to put it on a postcard. You only have to watch the news. Graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs, so they take jobs lower down the scale. That pushes people out at the bottom. Companies are closing down every day, unemployment is growing. There arent enough jobs. There is a whole generation of school leavers who cannot find jobs. This year executives received a 10% pay rise, the bankers are still getting their bonuses. So yes, Id say the gap is growing.

Get a job as an executive then. Problem solved.

ninky_2

i have experience through my OH and his friends of these types of 'jobs'. it shocks me that sick pay is not mandatory, it's a 'perk' - he's working somewhere at the moment that doesn't pay it. he's also worked somewhere that expected him to drive a company vehicle (a van) without insurance (they told him to get fully comp on his his own car in case there was an accident so that would cover him). also places that refused to pay anything other than cash in hand and below the minimum wage. another place that conveniently sacked people just before they'd been there a year so had no rights to complain of unfair dismissal. unions absolutely useless in these cases - they just advised if he could claim racism he could use that - but it wasn't racism just shoddy behaviour. many places use illegal workers because they are have no way of complaining and aren't going to as don't want to come under the radar of the authorities. honestly, it amazes me more isn't done to catch these companies. it wouldn't take much to find them and close them down or severly fine them.

tesuhoha

ILW wrote: »

Get a job as an executive then. Problem solved.

Tell me then, how does my young friend go about getting a job as an executive? Please enlighten me. It would indeed solve the problem.

ninky_2

Mr_Mumble wrote: »

If paid labour is treated so badly and remunerated so poorly why don't middle-class families have half-a-dozen servants like they did in Victorian Britain?

Answers on a postcard to the folks who say the gap between "rich" and "poor" is growing.

er babysitters, nannies, cleaners, etc. i know many people with these. property prices probably mean they wouldn't want to waste attic space for live ins. most people have less kids now plus domestic appliances make life easier as well as restaurants that do away with the need for a cook. all these are things the middle classes spend their salaries on as well as several foreign holidays a year that were an expense less common in the past.

ILW

tesuhoha wrote: »

Tell me then, how does my young friend go about getting a job as an executive? Please enlighten me. It would indeed solve the problem.

Example may be commision only sales rep, knocking doors to get people to change their elec supplier etc. Fairly easy to get into as most drop out within a month. The ones that do well tend to get promoted very quick.

nearlyrich

Surely if the person is legal and has paid into the system here or in their own country (presuming EEC) they would be entitled to SSP in common with many other people, paid sick leave is not universal and I wouldn't expect it in an agancy role.

I think people should refuse to work for less than minimum wage, as long as hoards of peopleare willing to do so these dodgy companies will keep getting away with this.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

ninky wrote: »

i have experience through my OH and his friends of these types of 'jobs'. it shocks me that sick pay is not mandatory, it's a 'perk' - he's working somewhere at the moment that doesn't pay it. he's also worked somewhere that expected him to drive a company vehicle (a van) without insurance (they told him to get fully comp on his his own car in case there was an accident so that would cover him). also places that refused to pay anything other than cash in hand and below the minimum wage. another place that conveniently sacked people just before they'd been there a year so had no rights to complain of unfair dismissal. unions absolutely useless in these cases - they just advised if he could claim racism he could use that - but it wasn't racism just shoddy behaviour. many places use illegal workers because they are have no way of complaining and aren't going to as don't want to come under the radar of the authorities. honestly, it amazes me more isn't done to catch these companies. it wouldn't take much to find them and close them down or severly fine them.

A lot of dodgy stuff there but there is one thing that leaps out at me due to an experience I once had.
Having a fully comp policy on a van does not usually give third party cover on a car because a van is usually a commercial policy and a car is normally a "social, domestic" policy. I presume that the same applies vice-versa. Not that anyone should have to get their own insurance policy to cover a company vehicle anyway.