We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
Debate House Prices
In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non MoneySaving matters are no longer permitted. This includes wider debates about general house prices, the economy and politics. As a result, we have taken the decision to keep this board permanently closed, but it remains viewable for users who may find some useful information in it. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Why do people only pay the minimum wage
Comments
-
Butterfly_Brain wrote: »Actually some branches of cleaning are highly specialised such as operating theatre cleaning etc for which you need to have a knowldedge of micro-biology. PH values are also involved and would you know what a surfactant is?
I bet a lot on this board wouldn't pass the BICS cleaning sciences exam, it would be too hard
Surfactant? Something to do with removing oils from surfaces
To be fair, I'm cleaning with a university which potentially will involve cleaning science labs (equipment, chemicals, etc) and maybe the medical school so knowledge of the things you're talking about will be necessary.
I think that's probably why my pay will be higher than minimum wage, my comment about the public sector was a little tongue in cheek
“I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.” - P.G. Wodehouse0 -
Butterfly_Brain wrote: »Actually some branches of cleaning are highly specialised, such as operating theatre cleaning etc for which you need to have a knowldedge of micro-biology. PH values are also involved and would you know what a surfactant is?
I bet a lot on this board wouldn't pass the BICS cleaning sciences exam, it would be too hard
I somehow doubt Brenda/Isabella/Katarzyna whom clean the toilets of an office block are in the same category.0 -
Maybe it is just an empty statement.
The point I was getting at is that this massive disparity within organisations goes unquestioned by those who are at the top and yet don't seem to realise how this disparity is observed by other parts of society.
The only way I can simplify it would be to have a small tribe who suddenly found that there most able group ( the young hunters) came back each day with a deer and then sat and ate the whole thing without sharing any ...Then wondered why the rest of the tribe felt no real obligation to do the more menial tasks.
Reward and responsibility go hand in hand in a society that wants some kind of cohesion.
Those who are at the top of organisations hold the fortunes and lifestyles of all their staff - often thousands or even tens of thousands of people, and their families - in their hands. Don't you think that is a pretty rigorous responsibility and one that needs to be rewarded in the proper way.
How do you value the contribution of someone like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, for example, not just to their company but also to the tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on their decisions?
I dont know about you, but I reckon they're worth every penny.
The cleaner - while he or she does a very important job - carries nowhere near so much of a burden of responsibility. When he or she screws up, there is no toilet paper in the lav. When Steve Jobs screws up, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their standard or living.0 -
Those who are at the top of organisations hold the fortunes and lifestyles of all there staff - often thousands or even tens of thousands of people, and their families - in their hands. Don't you think that is a pretty rigorous responsibility and one that needs to be rewarded in the proper way.
How do you value the contribution of someone like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, for example, not just to their company but also to the tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on their decisions?
I dont know about you, but I reckon they're worth every penny.
The cleaner - while he or she does a very important job - carries nowhere near so much of a burden of responsibility. When he or she screws up, there is no toilet paper in the lav. When Steve Jobs screws up, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their standard or living.
Trouble is, a lot of the so-called top dogs don't accept that responsibility where things go wrong.
In example, when a member of staff is killed carrying out their job.
Why do we not have a corporate manslaughter law?
How did the CEO's of the banks accept their responsibilities.
As a complete aside, linguistically I find it curious you've used the incorrect "there" instead of "their" in the first para, but in the 3rd para, correctly used "they're", which is the one most people mis-use.It's getting harder & harder to keep the government in the manner to which they have become accustomed.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »
As a complete aside, linguistically I find it curious you've used the incorrect "there" instead of "their" in the first para, but in the 3rd para, correctly used "they're", which is the one most people mis-use.
laziness. pure and utter laziness, and a disinclination to review what I write.
My apologies, and edited to correct now.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »Trouble is, a lot of the so-called top dogs don't accept that responsibility where things go wrong.
In example, when a member of staff is killed carrying out their job.
Why do we not have a corporate manslaughter law?
How did the CEO's of the banks accept their responsibilities.
As a complete aside, linguistically I find it curious you've used the incorrect "there" instead of "their" in the first para, but in the 3rd para, correctly used "they're", which is the one most people mis-use.
PS. There is no apostrophe in CEOs.
0 -
The reason for the minimum income guarantee was that a lot of people were stuck on benefits, without it being worth actually getting a job. It was intended to make it pay more to get a job than stay on benefits witout people actually starving.
I don't think it worked, I just think that was the intention.
Mmm.
Thing is though, there is a certain pride to going out to work and earning your crust.
Mrs Stick is currently out of work (through no fault of her own) and has been for a week or so now.
If we wanted to tighten our belts she could stay at home, take an extended holiday and - just - get by on my income alone.
Quite apart from the financial impact on me, she recognises that there is no pride or sense of self-worth being dependent on someone else, be it a partner or the State.
Consequently she has spent the last week and a half applying for any job she can find regardless of the pay level. She has attended two interviews so far and whilst they are both paying NMW, she is happy to take that for the time being until she can find something better.
Anyone who isn't willing to do the same as her is either lazy or seriously lacking in self respect.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »Why do we not have a corporate manslaughter law?
Erm, we do?
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/19/contents0 -
Those who are at the top of organisations hold the fortunes and lifestyles of all there staff - often thousands or even tens of thousands of people, and their families - in their hands. Don't you think that is a pretty rigorous responsibility and one that needs to be rewarded in the proper way.
How do you value the contribution of someone like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, for example, not just to their company but also to the tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on their decisions?
I dont know about you, but I reckon they're worth every penny.
The cleaner - while he or she does a very important job - carries nowhere near so much of a burden of responsibility. When he or she screws up, there is no toilet paper in the lav. When Steve Jobs screws up, hundreds of thousands of people could lose their standard or living.
It is because of the responsibility of the position that I think it needs to be rewarded properly and with a sense of perspective to all the people involved.
Bil gates is in fact an example of a fairly benevolent boss as all the people who were initially involved in the risky process of starting up all had shares as a reward.
Reward also needs to have some connection to the amount of risk involved. If one has the advantage of being able to negotiate a contract that rewards just as well for failure as success or is based on a short term target that has no longer term benefit, or worse have an administrative position that can carry none of the risk associated with private business then the concept that you require some kind of comparable salary is absurd.
I am not a screaming socialist but quite like the idea of a maximum wage(Probably set at a couple of million a year).
As i've thought one of the spin-off's from this would be that a well run company would not be known for haveing an MD that picked up the highest salary , but would have the most employees who were paid at the maximum allowable.0 -
I am not a screaming socialist but quite like the idea of a maximum wage(Probably set at a couple of million a year).
As i've thought one of the spin-off's from this would be that a well run company would not be known for haveing an MD that picked up the highest salary , but would have the most employees who were paid at the maximum allowable.
In which case I would incorporate offshore and evade the restriction.
Failing that, I would stop doing business in the UK.
If I own and run the company and take all the risk, why should some politician tell me how much I can pay myself for my own hard work?0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 352K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.2K Spending & Discounts
- 245K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.4K Life & Family
- 258.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards