Why Exactly Are Northern Ireland Wages So Low? (Merged)

martin57

dj9928 wrote: »

Why are wages in Northern Ireland so much lower than the rest of the UK, I'm sure there has to be a reason is there? I've just checked the jobcentre plus website in England, I'm a tradesman, I can get no higher than £6 an hour over here, in England (Leeds) £9 starting, I mean there is no hope of me ever getting a wage like that here, and in London same job £13, I mean its shocking that we are so undervalued.

A tradesman on £6 an hour...you must be joking. In my experience no tradesman (and a lot are coyboys who do maybe a 6 mth plumbing course) will enter your house and do a little bit for any less than £35.

I had a real nightmare a few years ago changing a toilet cistern ballcock and fixing a few taps. A job that should have cost no more than £50-£60 cost me £160 with 3 different plumbers and still it wasn't fixed right. Had to go to [EMAIL="b@q"]b@q[/EMAIL] and get part to do it myself ...and I'm one of the most unhandiest people around.

martin57

dmxdave

martin57 wrote: »

A tradesman on £6 an hour...you must be joking. In my experience no tradesman (and a lot are coyboys who do maybe a 6 mth plumbing course) will enter your house and do a little bit for any less than £35.
martin57

I think the OP is referring to wages being paid to tradesmen by a company rather than a self employed person. Their boss may well be charging them out at £35 to cover premises,vans,insurance, tax etc.

IvanOpinion

Last time I got my car serviced the labour worked out at about £60 per hour :eek:

Ivan

Paula202

talksalot81 wrote: »

My wife is a CS and her daily experience is almost totally in disagreement with you. The pay is not awful - bottom of the pile people get as much if not more than in the private sector and have a significantly higher level of additional 'benefits'. As you go up the chain, the pay rises strongly and is far from awful. Going out on the sick is an enormous problem because very little is done if a doctors letter is obtained (and that is little more than a case of knowing the right doctor and paying for exaggeration of the truth). My wife cannot recall having ever encountered an individual who has been dismissed from the CS for any reason, much less their sick days.

My husband is a CS and believe me the pay is crap!! He would be paid an awful lot more in private sector. As for people not being dismissed due to poor attendance I know of 3 CS who have been disciplined and dismissed for this. Is your wife the NI secretary or something? NICS is one of the biggest employers in NI so if she knows each department, branch and employee she is doing well.

IvanOpinion

Paula, I wouldn't assume that your oH would be better off in the private sector. In 2003 the average public sector pay overtook the average private sector pay ... it should be noticed that that study only considered pay and ignored the other benefits including: on average the public sector works fewer hours per week, on average the public sector ges more holidays, the public sector expects automatic promotions, the public sector pension scheme is worth a significant additional percentage over the average private sector pension (I think it was something like 10-15%)

Ivan

talksalot81

Paula202 wrote: »

My husband is a CS and believe me the pay is crap!! He would be paid an awful lot more in private sector. As for people not being dismissed due to poor attendance I know of 3 CS who have been disciplined and dismissed for this. Is your wife the NI secretary or something? NICS is one of the biggest employers in NI so if she knows each department, branch and employee she is doing well.

I never said she knew everyone, but having worked in CS and been moved through several departments, she has seen a reasonable share. Everyone's experience will differ but ask yourself this: If you are correct and the CS really is so rotten, why is your husband still there and why, as a rule, do people often stay in CS rather than try and move elsewhere? It just does not add up I am afraid.

ixwood

Supply and demand. People are just a resource like any other. When there's more people than jobs, wages go down and vice versa.

The immigration/outsourcing factors come into play there as well, as we're getting closer and closer to a global pool/supply of labour. I can only see it getting worse in all developed countries.

What jobs are going to be left in 10 years time?

System

I'm a customer facing CS currently working for the Imperial Civil service rather than the NICS. I'm contracted to work 37 hrs per week but such is the nature of my job I regularly work over 40 hrs per week. I'm not allowed overtime pay for those extra hours but I am allowed time off in lieu so I regularly get flexi days off on top of my 25 days leave. Those days are arranged according to business need. I wonder if my neighbours think I'm a lazy so and so too especially when I manage to get a Monday or a Friday off.

Regarding sickies I have to say that I have seen a couple of colleagues taken to task. The CS disciplinary procedure seems to be very precise but I think that is in an attempt to counter any potential harassment claim. It is rigorously applied though - well certainly in my office.

I don't "expect" to be promoted at all as a previous poster stated. There have been very few promotions in the last couple of years as many colleagues have seen their offices close and their employment status changed to Pre-surplus or Surplus. So basically if they don't accept a move to another office (if there are vacancies) they can leave. Those with bad sick records must be more worried than others.

I personally don't think my pay is great and I know I'm nothing but an expendible number but I love doing my job. I had better pay and benefits/bonuses working in a bank call centre but that was mind-numbingly boring. However I've also worked for NICS in the past and grade for grade their pay is approximately £1500 to £2000 per year less than the Imperial Civil Service so I'm lucky. This is ridiculous especially when you consider that CSA, Ordnance Survey and other public sector employees in "Norn Iron" work for the NICS and their colleagues on the mainland, doing exactly the same job, work for Imperial Civil Service and so are better paid. That, I believe, is gross discrimination.

I also believe that as long as there is a continuous supply of foreign workers as cheap labour for the private sector then it doesn't matter that property values have exploded here, rates have increased by more than the inflation rate year on year or that goods and services are more expensive.

jarrod1

I work for an England based company with no offices in Northern Ireland and i get paid the same as my colleagues in England. I sometimes manage to get 5 days work done in 3 1/2 days and can take the rest of the week off without some wannabe undereducated manager telling me what to do.

Step_7

dj9928 wrote: »

You go to any factory across the provence I can guarantee they don't pay sick pay

Well, as a factory worker I'd like to refute that rather sweeping claim, the last 3 factories I've worked in (all local) have had paid sickness schemes of one sort or another.

My current employer will pay me normal wages for up to 6 months should I be unfortunate enough to fall ill or have an accident. Personally, I've had 3 sick days in the last 5 years - I guess it comes down to an individual how honest they want to be regarding this sort of thing but I don't feel the need to abuse the system, its just good to know its there should the need for it arise.