to want minimum wage to be the same for everyone

[mumof2children]

together with the job centre my works have taken on 10 extra staff at minimum wages, as most of them are 18 i was shock to hear that, but even more shocked that the minimum wage was £4.8o ish..so 1/2 what i am on an hour.

so should minimum wage be the same for anyone over the age of 18

[worldgonemad72]

It is for the over 21's i think, when i was 18 i earned £29 a week for 40 hrs on yts scheme, i thought i was loaded lol

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

Yes. I think minimum wage should be minimum wage.

I don't understand why it is split

Quick google and it seems it's
£5.80 if you're 22+
£4.83 18-21
£3.57 school leaver-18

[expatinscotland]

It promotes age discrimination and should be the same for everyone.

[laweaselmys]

It is very unfair. Especially for young people that don't live at home, and are trying to support themselves on tiddly wages.

[Haliborange]

I think minimum wage should be subject to regional variation. It's shocking that it is the same in London when the cost of living is so much higher. Although to be honest if I was on minimum wage London is the last place I would live.

I don't think it should be less for under 21s, but I guess that must be a sop to business, which wouldn't have taken too kindly to a blanket minimum wage depriving them of cheap labour.

That's a fair point re age discrimination.

[Vallhala]

The same methods were practised in the Cilvil Service many years ago. They were my first employers and I recall being furious to discover that I was earning lsss than older women yet doing exactly the same job, particularly as I had a flat to run and for some of my colleagues their wages were at their own admittance pin money.

[JGBMum]

My DS has a small paper round delivering the free paper each week. By the time he has put in all the inserts, and delivered 170 papers up and down 170 drives, the whole process takes about 3 hours, and he is lucky if his wages are over £8 because he is under 18 and because of the way the rates are calculated

[wukter]

Agreed, where I work (franchise) owners are being encouraged to hire the under 18's to "ease pressure on labour costs".
So a 17 year old looking for drink money will get hired above someone with a family/commitments.
Bit a generalisation about 17 year olds but not entirely unfounded.

[mumof2children]

i feel proud that one of the boys had a new born daughter and was doing this to provide for her

[Blondeshavemorefun]

i think min wage should go up - it does in oct and increases a whole 19p per hr gross to £5.93 over 21's

many people cant survive on less than £6ph gross and pay rent/bills etc hence why stay on benifits as then rent+council tax get paid

i am not sure that a 17/18 deserevs to be paid the same as someone whith 4yrs exp at 22 - but should be paid more than £3.57

i worked out that 20yrs ago when i worked at my local coop (1989-1991) for 15hrs while at college (and took home just under £27) that i earned £1.77ph

[huddspur]

Its lower for under 21s to encourage them to stay in education and training instead of just getting a low skilled job as soon as you leave school

[MumNWLondon]

I think its right it is so low for under 21s they should be in further training/education so that when they enter the workforce they have some skills.

[maighdlin]

its a pain in the ass. im trying to get a wee part time job doing evenings and weekends in a shop or something. i have had one interview (mcdonalds even they rejected me!) and its because there is 16yos going for the same job and they would have to pay me more so of course the 16 yo is going to get the job.

if i ever get another interview im going to tell them that they may have to pay me more but i will work harder than some feckless 16yo who only wants drinking money. i need money to LIVE!

[HotSprocket]

I think it should be the same regardless of age.

I always hated that i was getting less money but had to pay the same in council tax.

And MumNWLondon i think that is a ridiculous attitude to have, especially with the amount of unemployed graduates at the moment.

[SlackSally]

I've always felt it was appalling that younger people get paid less. Ditto for JSA payments.

One does not suddenly start eating more or needing more heating or electricity when they hit 21.

And the arguments about older people needing to support families are entirely spurious. Firstly, does that mean that it should go up proportionally, so a woman with four children gets paid mor than a women with one child? Don't think so. And also, in the case of children, there are extra benefits specifically for the support of children.

A 22 year old does not necessarily have more relevant experience than an 18 year old. If you start work in, say, retail, at 16, you're going to have more experience in that field that a 22 year old graduate whose parents have been supporting them the whole time.

[callalilies]

It's discriminatory. I imagine it will be challenged at some point.

[matumble]

blondeshavemorefun its not about experience though or it would go up year on year by your age, its pure discrimination.

huddspur and mumnwlondon what about those 17 year olds in education and working to support themselves? i moved out at 17, i had to, and minimum wage for that age group especially on part time hours is just not enough to live, i scraped by in a flat share but it was horrible and through no fault of my own i was punished due to my age.

minimum wage should be just that, the very least an employer can pay, if its ok for a 17 year old it should be ok for a 22 year old or a 40 year old, not based on some biased opinion of what 17 year olds spend it on

[JGBMum]

Also, my DS is in full time education (studying for A levels) so can go to University.

He is not eligible for any EMA so his only income is what we give him as pocket money and what he erans on his poxy paper round.

Oh, and he doesnt spend it on beer!!!