Can I get any benefits?

starrystarry

grummps wrote: »

Either there is a lot of winding up going on in this thread or we have some very annoying trolls!!

I find it incredible that people can justify, and presumably they themselves would have no objection to, earning £200 a week for 60 hours!

I cannot imagine how anybody can reasonably say that that wage is OK! It is a pittance. Has everybody bar me gone down to the point that £200 a week is what they would willingly accept?

Come on, as a couple only, and we don't eat the best of foods, shop for bargains etc., it costs us over £100 a week for the supermarket shop alone.

If someone told me that I would have to graft all week for that sort of wage, I would be looking for another job doing anything including cleaning the public toilets!

I know what my labour is worth - and its a lot more than £3.33 an hour! It's worth more than the NMW as well!!

I have friends that refuse to work in the UK because of this crazy acceptance of a low wage. Many work in Europe and some much farther away - Africa, indonesia etc. At least the employers over there value a hard days work!!

To be fair, the majority of people who said £200 was not a low wage did so before the OP pointed out that she works up to 60 hours per week. In the original post she just said "full time".

princessdon

starrystarry wrote: »

To be fair, the majority of people who said £200 was not a low wage did so before the OP pointed out that she works up to 60 hours per week. In the original post she just said "full time".

or getting less than £200 pw - but claiming a whole other host of benefits and assume that everyone gets those added to a wage.

neverdespairgirl

grummps wrote: »

Either there is a lot of winding up going on in this thread or we have some very annoying trolls!!

I find it incredible that people can justify, and presumably they themselves would have no objection to, earning £200 a week for 60 hours!

I cannot imagine how anybody can reasonably say that that wage is OK! It is a pittance. Has everybody bar me gone down to the point that £200 a week is what they would willingly accept?

Of course not. Lots of us were also saying, as you are saying, that it's a low income for a lot of work.

grummps

starrystarry wrote: »

To be fair, the majority of people who said £200 was not a low wage did so before the OP pointed out that she works up to 60 hours per week. In the original post she just said "full time".

OK, yes you are right - but come on a full time job paying £200 a week?? Just over a fiver an hour!

grummps

princessdon wrote: »

or getting less than £200 pw - but claiming a whole other host of benefits and assume that everyone gets those added to a wage.

Why should other benefits come in to the equation?

I used to work for a salary that reflected my abilities, knowledge and intelligence. I certainly didn't take into account what welfare benefits I could have on top!

A wage is a wage - it is payment for work performed for a rate that suits both the employer and the employee taking into account all of the employees attributes.

Since when did salary negotiation include what levels of Welfare can also be claimed?

grummps

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Of course not. Lots of us were also saying, as you are saying, that it's a low income for a lot of work.

It's a low wage for 38 hours a week, never mind 60!

princessdon

grummps wrote: »

Why should other benefits come in to the equation?

I used to work for a salary that reflected my abilities, knowledge and intelligence. I certainly didn't take into account what welfare benefits I could have on top!

A wage is a wage - it is payment for work performed for a rate that suits both the employer and the employee taking into account all of the employees attributes.

Since when did salary negotiation include what levels of Welfare can also be claimed?

Because a lot of the posters who were saying £200 is a HUGE amount (of which I was not one). Are claiming CT, wTC, and other benefits to raise their income. The *hourly* rate was not being considered.

Given that claimants can claim 16 hours work and XXX amount in benefits to raise that people assume that everyone is in the same boat. Op wasn't - she was working 60 hours for way less than expected and still got grief for it.

seven-day-weekend

I suspect the people who think £200 a week is a lot of money to live on have that left after having their rent, Council Tax and children paid for. It's not a lot if it is ALL you get.

To the OP, I would seek advice at somewhere like the CAB, so that they can advise you on your particular circumstances.

chris1973

If you only earn that then you must only be working 16 hrs a week. The OP is doing 60 hours sometimes.. BIG Difference.

If you check the first post - which is the one I was quoting, then you would see there was no reference to how many hours they worked, just 'full time'

your post was made with the benefit of a further one by the OP giving this additional information.

Unfortunately I don't own a delorean and the crystal ball went back to Argos.

To be fair, the majority of people who said £200 was not a low wage did so before the OP pointed out that she works up to 60 hours per week. In the original post she just said "full time".

Everybody else appears to 'get it'