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Original poster

About half of British workers earn under £15 hour - new Living Wage?

242 replies

Melisha · 09/07/2024 00:20

At the moment about half of the workforce earns under £15 an hour. We need to increase national minimum wage to £15 an hour, lifting many of the workforce out of poverty.
Do you agree NMW should be £15 an hour?

OP posts:
Original poster
Melisha · 10/07/2024 00:34

@Mrsttcno1 without workers actually doing the work, the business will shut. And business have shut in areas where there is a shortage of staff willing to work for low wages.

OP posts:
MikeRafone · 10/07/2024 00:34

also, if a business isn’t profitable- who would purchase it?

MikeRafone · 10/07/2024 00:32

Mrsttcno1 · 09/07/2024 14:35

You realise shareholders, landowners, business owners, are all actually essential for those businesses running don’t you? And they all did SOMETHING to achieve that status. It is easy to sell up if it is no longer profitable and then all of a sudden none of their staff are getting any £x per hour as they are all left unemployed.

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Name one that did SOMETHING

Sosorryliver · 10/07/2024 00:30

Melisha · 10/07/2024 00:28

@Sosorryliver If that is your take home pay, you are probably on about £15 per hour already. More than about half of the population.

No that’s the hourly rate. The union wants £15 ph though. I took on a second job for my extra £5k

Original poster
Melisha · 10/07/2024 00:28

@Sosorryliver If that is your take home pay, you are probably on about £15 per hour already. More than about half of the population.

OP posts:
Original poster
Melisha · 10/07/2024 00:26

@Andthereitis the national average wage is not calculated per hour, Which is why it is slightly misleading. Many low paid people do lots of extra hours so they have enough to live on.

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Sosorryliver · 10/07/2024 00:25

It’s always a tricky balance. I work for the LA and take home 12.70 ph. If my wages go up then council tax goes up , cost of everything else goes up as labour costs are higher across the board. I earnt £5k more last year than the year before and it pretty much got swallowed up by increased col.

Andthereitis · 10/07/2024 00:22

What's the national average wage work out at per hour?

Original poster
Melisha · 10/07/2024 00:19

healthadvice123 · 09/07/2024 23:47

But your often not better off, if tesco , hairdressers , nurseries etc all have to pay their staff £15 an hour , where do you think they get that extra money from, by raising costs for customers , therefore you may bring home more, but your money doesn’t go any further . So your not better off in reality

@healthadvice123 Tescos and the like pay large payouts to shareholders and senior executives. That increases prices for everyone. Maybe if we want prices to fall, those large payouts could be reduced?

OP posts:
mollyfolk · 10/07/2024 00:00

MidnightMeltdown · 09/07/2024 01:16

I don't think the problem is simply that some people are paid too little, some people are also paid too much. The problem in the UK is high inequality.

This is not to say that some people shouldn't earn more, but it should be within reason (e.g. the highest earner in the company is not earning more than 5 times the salary of the lowest earner). We need a maximum wage as much as a minimum wage.

Companies also shouldn't be allowed to pay out to shareholders while their staff are dependent on tax payer funded benefits because their wages are too low to live on.

Throughly agree. It blows my mind. Why, on earth, are we happy to pay benefits that allow big business to underpay staff? It’s actually mad. If you are working you should earn enough to live.

healthadvice123 · 09/07/2024 23:47

But your often not better off, if tesco , hairdressers , nurseries etc all have to pay their staff £15 an hour , where do you think they get that extra money from, by raising costs for customers , therefore you may bring home more, but your money doesn’t go any further . So your not better off in reality

Original poster
Melisha · 09/07/2024 23:20

@Cobbledstreets I am saying the NMW should be £15 an hour. Lots of professionals start on a low wage, but rise much higher.

OP posts:
Cobbledstreets · 09/07/2024 23:15

XenoBitch · 09/07/2024 23:11

But Costa is not public sector and funded by the government.

It is like when people argue that nurses should earn as much as footballers (or footballers earn as little as nurses). Different sectors and different budgets.

Now, if Costa employed nurses, you would have a point.

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The original poster is saying (I think) unskilled jobs like baristas for example shouldn’t be getting government mandated wage increases that lift their salary above nurses. So it is a relevant comparison.

Original poster
Melisha · 09/07/2024 23:13

@User2460177 Your costs were lower? Do you mean you were on NMW before you had a family? Or even when still living with parents?
Being young and on NMW with no kids us very different.
The thread is full of people in private sector saying they do very little work for high wages.

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 09/07/2024 23:11

Cobbledstreets · 09/07/2024 23:05

our nurses should not be paid the same as the Costa barista.

This exactly.

Especially when you add in the fact that nurses etc will have the graduate tax aka student loan repayment that many -not all- in NMW jobs won’t have.

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But Costa is not public sector and funded by the government.

It is like when people argue that nurses should earn as much as footballers (or footballers earn as little as nurses). Different sectors and different budgets.

Now, if Costa employed nurses, you would have a point.

Cobbledstreets · 09/07/2024 23:11

Melisha · 09/07/2024 22:42

Some employers already have difficulties filling jobs as those above minimum wage are not paid much more.

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Wait…so you’re agreeing raising the NMW will make it worse for employers trying to fill the (slightly) higher paid /higher responsibility roles?

I agree with @Blushingm

everyone below a certain amount should get a pay rise at this point , not just the ones at the very bottom. I’m sure the NMW went up quite recently and a lot of middle earners wages didn’t.

User2460177 · 09/07/2024 23:08

Cobbledstreets · 09/07/2024 23:05

our nurses should not be paid the same as the Costa barista.

This exactly.

Especially when you add in the fact that nurses etc will have the graduate tax aka student loan repayment that many -not all- in NMW jobs won’t have.

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Wages should take into account the skills and training required for the job. That shouldn’t be controversial imo

User2460177 · 09/07/2024 23:07

Melisha · 09/07/2024 23:02

There are often lots of senior staff. Have you seen the thread of people talking about being paid a high wage and doing very little work?
And do you live on the minimum wage?

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There are not lots of senior staff- that’s why they are paid a premium. Very few people outside the public sector are paid high wages with no work. I say that as someone who has worked in both the public and private sectors.

I have in the past lived on the minimum wage yes. I don’t now. It was fine for me then as my costs were lower.

expecting other people to pay you more than you can get at market rates is not a great idea economically. Basically you will likely be replaced by technology or offshore.

Cobbledstreets · 09/07/2024 23:05

Answersunknown · 09/07/2024 02:04

I Was a doctor on less than that for nights and weekends.
unless all wages rise fairly then no I don’t think it should rise.

our nurses should not be paid the same as the Costa barista.

our nurses should not be paid the same as the Costa barista.

This exactly.

Especially when you add in the fact that nurses etc will have the graduate tax aka student loan repayment that many -not all- in NMW jobs won’t have.

User2460177 · 09/07/2024 23:03

kitsuneghost · 09/07/2024 17:46

What makes you think B&M would have you. People talk about check out jobs in such a derogatory manner but it is a frustrating and thankless job.

When NMW went up last time we had people threaten to leave to work in Tesco. They wouldn't have known what had hit them TBH. Even if they got in with no experience

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You think working on the checkout is much more difficult than being a nurse? Seriously? I’ve worked on checkouts in several different stores when younger. It’s not that hard

Original poster
Melisha · 09/07/2024 23:02

User2460177 · 09/07/2024 22:57

There’s one CEO and you need the best. Like it or not many of the staff at the bottom are low skilled and interchangeable. If you start paying them a lot more then they will be replaced by technology.

Also the existing minimum wage is enough to live on. But it depends on your circumstances how good your life will be

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There are often lots of senior staff. Have you seen the thread of people talking about being paid a high wage and doing very little work?
And do you live on the minimum wage?

OP posts:
User2460177 · 09/07/2024 23:00

justasking111 · 09/07/2024 21:53

That's really offensive actually

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It’s not. I was the higher earner in my relationship (I’m a woman) and my ex did not earn a penny of my money: why are men who don’t pay their way “cocklodgers” yet women are not?

User2460177 · 09/07/2024 22:57

Melisha · 09/07/2024 01:27

@iamtheblcksheep somehow there is always enough money to pay senior staff and CEOs very high wages though.

There’s one CEO and you need the best. Like it or not many of the staff at the bottom are low skilled and interchangeable. If you start paying them a lot more then they will be replaced by technology.

Also the existing minimum wage is enough to live on. But it depends on your circumstances how good your life will be

HulaChick · 09/07/2024 22:52

Pay rise, not parish!

HulaChick · 09/07/2024 22:51

I work in the public sector and despite my qualifications & experience, earn well under £15 per hour & only a few pence over current minimum wage. I have a demanding & responsible job, no chance for a parish and will probably have to start looking elsewhere as cost of living has got so ridiculous. I already have a part time second job which I would love to give up but can't afford to. However, the money for increased wages has to come from somewhere & until government funding is increased towards the public sector, I can't see it happening.