Adult minimum wage to rise by 19p per hour

trollopscarletwoman

amiehall wrote: »

I've lived quite reasonably when I was earning about £6.40 before and I was too young to be entitled to tax credits at the time (which is a joke in itself...)

I was living in north England at the time though, I wouldn't particularly want to be living in London on that.

I own my own car, I take foreign holidays, and I've been able to save up almost enough for a house deposit. I definitely was able to do more than survive on close to NMW.

Well. you must have lived like a monk or nun.

gadgetmind

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Good for you and the graduate.

Yes.

if we've got to the situation whereby only those with superior skills can find work

That's not what we have. Those with even modest skills (my examples are relative youngsters with very little work experience) can earn 2-3x NMW. What does that say about the skillset of those who don't set their sights above NMW? What does it say about those who can't even find that work? What does it say about the education system in the UK?

amiehall

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Well. you must have lived like a monk or nun.

Not really. Like I said, I ran a car and my boyfriend was working abroad so I took 4 return long-haul flights that year.

I did get a steady 40-45 hours a week which, as you've identified, really helps boost your takehome pay.

I would definitely watch what I spent on food and was strict about my budget but that was mainly so I could save. If I hadn't been saving, I would have had a lot of free money.

trollopscarletwoman

amiehall wrote: »

Not really. Like I said, I ran a car and my boyfriend was working abroad so I took 4 return long-haul flights that year.

I did get a steady 40-45 hours a week which, as you've identified, really helps boost your takehome pay.

I would definitely watch what I spent on food and was strict about my budget but that was mainly so I could save. If I hadn't been saving, I would have had a lot of free money.

Did you still live at home?

BillJones

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Its up to the questioner first to give his/her view on what it should be. Then I'll reply.

So you insist on setting weird "rules" rather than answerinfpg a straight question?

I can see why you are not keen on wages being set according to value...

Anyway, since you asked so politely, I don't think that there should be a minimum wage, employers and employees should be able to agree on whatever they want.

I also disagree with the idea of a maximum wage, too, and don't like the government trying to stop my employer being able to pay me what they want.

Carl31

If people can't live on NMW, what did they do before it was introduced? I'm pretty sure there was no tax credits then either

I don't recall seeing many people on the streets, in fact I worked in a supermarket where colleagues were managing to buy houses on their low wages

trollopscarletwoman

Carl31 wrote: »

If people can't live on NMW, what did they do before it was introduced? I'm pretty sure there was no tax credits then either

I don't recall seeing many people on the streets, in fact I worked in a supermarket where colleagues were managing to buy houses on their low wages

There was a varient on tax credits. Family supplement. Not as large as tax credits that cannot be denied.

trollopscarletwoman

BillJones wrote: »

So you insist on setting weird "rules" rather than answerinfpg a straight question?

I can see why you are not keen on wages being set according to value...

Anyway, since you asked so politely, I don't think that there should be a minimum wage, employers and employees should be able to agree on whatever they want.

I also disagree with the idea of a maximum wage, too, and don't like the government trying to stop my employer being able to pay me what they want.

Deal with the maximum wage first. Those on the right have criticised late RMT leader Bob Crow for his £145k salary even though membership doubled under him along with members salaries and conditions vastly increased. So on performance grounds alone he was worth his money.

I can never agree that there can be no bottom limit on wages. Might be alright in a full age economy but not here. CBI and tories rejected nmw as job destroying but now embrace it--because its no threat to business because its set so low.

Seems with some people the lower pay you get, though you are working, the more scorn you get!

amiehall

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Did you still live at home?

No! I moved out when I was 17.

buster1955

In 2006, I started a job in a petrol station on the minimum wage of £5.35 an hour. Eight years later, I am still on the minimum wage, thanks to the Tory Government not wanting to upset the people who vote for them (employers). My boss promised me a wage rise three months after he took over the garage, and apart from the NMW going up, I have never had a pay rise.

Everytime the Low Pay Unit (I bet the idiots that think up these rises aren't on minimum pay!) announce a rise, the employers whinge and whine about 'How hard up they are, and we'll have to cut back on the staff'...to be honest, I couldn't give a monkey's fart.

PAY people what they are worth, instead of expecting your lowly employees to get by on the pittance you pay them, with their ever increasing bills for everything they have to pay, and expecting them to feel sorry for you!!