If the minimum wage has caught up with me should I just look an easier job?

Pennywise

takman wrote: »

But I bet you small local employer has still been increasing their prices each year in line with inflation. Your employer sounds pretty bad and I think your right to look for a new job. There is no excuse for not increasing your wages atleast in line with inflation each year and if they can't even do that then they are effectively reducing your pay.

If they are struggling then it's due to poor management and they shouldn't be compensating for it by effectively reducing your wages when you have been doing the same good job for the last 10 years.

So much assumption and no facts....

One of my clients has a small factory producing kitchen units and has a handful of staff working cutting machines etc. Yes, they're on just above minimum wage now. But, no, he's not been increasing his prices year on year, in fact he's having to reduce his quotes/tenders to keep the place busy, so he doesn't have to make his staff redundant, and with ever increasing overheads, he didn't make a profit last year, so worked himself for nothing, after several years of not making much more than minimum wage for himself, despite massive investments in machinery. Not poor management at all - simply due to high levels of competition and cheap imports.

takman

Pennywise wrote: »

So much assumption and no facts....

One of my clients has a small factory producing kitchen units and has a handful of staff working cutting machines etc. Yes, they're on just above minimum wage now. But, no, he's not been increasing his prices year on year, in fact he's having to reduce his quotes/tenders to keep the place busy, so he doesn't have to make his staff redundant, and with ever increasing overheads, he didn't make a profit last year, so worked himself for nothing, after several years of not making much more than minimum wage for himself, despite massive investments in machinery. Not poor management at all - simply due to high levels of competition and cheap imports.

Of course my post is assumptions and not facts. I don't know anything about the OP's business, not even the name, so if you disagree with what I'm saying then that is also based on assumptions and not facts.

You say your clients business is not loosing money due to competition and cheap imports, so what has he done about it?.
Has he looked into producing slightly different products that are more in demand?.
Has he promoted the business and made his business stand out from the others by offering additional services, higher quality, better customer service etc?
Has he invested too much in machinery considering he is struggling to sell the products?
Has he bought the right equipment at the right prices?.
Has he looked at the methods he used to manufacture and implemented measures to increase efficiency?.

Businesses do fail due to the company not evolving and keeping up with changes in competition, technology, market demand etc. A good managment team will spot these changes and evolve the business to remain profitable. A business that isn't constantly improving is going backwards.

Cinders2001

I feel sorry for all you craftsmen out there.
You've worked hard and excelled in your chosen profession.
Years in the training, plasters and bruises to show and a fine piece of craftsmanship at the end.

But it's a crying shame when a stacker of shelves and an operator of a till earns more than a person like you all.

No slight to the shelf and till workers mind, I have done both these jobs - but let's get perspective.