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

That's why I asked for clarity but you haven't provided any context for the 15/hr

It's not just the costs will rise to pay for the increase....its that inflation rises because people can pay more for things they want.

I'm on £11.44 per hour so yes £15 would be good. My fellow VCAs, receptionists and admin assistants were supposed to get 3% on top but the veterinary nurses complained that it took us too close to what they got paid (£13 I think).

I earn just over £15ph. I'm seven scale points up from the starting wage for my job. If they put everyone up to £15ph then they won't put mine up proportionately. Therefore I am immediately devalued.

Not that I don't think everyone shouldn't be paid more but how do you fix this sort of issue? Took me a long time to get to that point on the scale.

It’s not just the NMW though is it. I’ve spent a few years working my way up to band 4 nhs. If you raise NMW all the other bands have to increase too in order to keep it fair.

I mean I’d love it to happen but it’s never going to.

Just because they are it doesn't mean they're anything else than an employer embarrassment and definitely not an example that should be emulated or used to support your statement.

@Maverickess

Oh and don't forget we don't want people doing jobs like social or child care for the money, because they're not in it for the right reasons then. If they're not happily living in poverty and debt while providing a service and grateful for the opportunity, they're in the wrong job.
But they're only in poverty and debt because they're a failure.

And these people should be OK with having to fork out for their criminal checks every year
Even though it is a big chunk of weekly earnings.
Oh, and they must have their own transport and pay for the petrol

But it won't change anything.

Prices will go up to cover the increase or, as above, hours will be cut.

Yep, it should be raised, on moral grounds too. A working family shouldn’t struggle to house themselves, feed themselves and pay for essentials. Instead we have a massive working force on benefits, because work doesn’t pay enough. Disgusting.

The answer is the costs for basic things like housing shouldn't be so fucking ridiculous. You should be able to afford a basic standard of living on a modest wage. Throwing more money at it via NMW or benefits doesn't actually solve anything. Yes there's inequality and some senior people are paid ridiculous amounts but that doesn't change the fact that a qualified nurse should be able to afford to live.

I’m paid minimum wage for a local retail company with 8 sites. When NMW went up in April they cut everybody’s hours across the company by 3 hrs a week to pay for the increase, so we actually ended up slightly worse off.

THe company is struggling to recruit several supervisors at the moment as they are only prepared to pay 20pence more an hour for these roles for a much higher level of responsibility.

So it's not about the lowest paid 5 or 10%
But about the lowest paid 50%?
You have just picked 15 because that's approximately 50%, not because it's actually a living wage.
And then once everyone earns 15 minimum, next it would be 50% of people earn less than 17 so we need to increase it to 17??? It would literally never end.

15/hr puts you on 30k full time....that is a good salary.

The thing about people that get paid more, top earners, is that by definition they are worth it. Someone is willing to pay them that much money over anyone else rather than lose them.

And remember a higher minimum wage is useless if all the other costs go up, you are no better off.

Getting more houses built for social/affordable rent, especially aimed at those in work (25 hours+ a week) but earning under £40k as a household is the priority in my opinion. Currently there's not enough housing stock so it tends to get directed at those not working.

Yep And when they finally retire its "why didnt you save into a private pension" and "you do know that the state pension is a benefit"

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.

I'm paid little over minimum wage, charity, only employee, no we can't afford to pay more!

To afford the higher minimum wage they will have to tax most of it back off you.

Thats not how wages and tax works

Great idea. Then the higher paid employees leave and go elsewhere, either to other employers, or abroad (as we see with IT consultants, doctors, etc)!

Let them

Its the shareholders, landowners and those owning the business - those that don't work for the money but receive it as a passive income - its not so easy to sell up, and many don't live in the uK anyway so they can't leave if they didn't start from here

As for smaller business, again why should people be working way below the living wage line if the business isn't profitable

I don't understand how you cant see the problem.

Small business, hourly rate was £50 ph, increase NMW, they increase the hourly rate. So the wage increase is off set by the cost increase.

As said up thread average self employed wage is £38k

That's the thing
People talk about top ups and freebies
A lot of people on minimum wage don't get this. Even my colleague presumed I got wage top ups when they asked why I was doing over time

In order to afford this, taxes would have to go up massively.
Minimum wage at the moment you don't pay much tax
To afford the higher minimum wage they will have to tax most of it back off you.
It will also take you above a lot of freebie thresholds

In April 24 NMW was raised 10%

If you raised NMW over the next 5 year term, by 5% each year

£12.01 = £24980 full time 40 hrs weekly
£12.61 = £26228
£13.24 = £27539
£13.90 = £28912
£14.59 = £30347

Why should the tax payer be subsidising the big operate organisations that are paying low wages, which then get topped up with U.C for working benefits? That money could be used to pay and retain nurses on better wages. Money for shareholders should be coming after those working within the business receive a wage that can be lived on sufficiently. As for smaller business, again why should people be working way below the living wage line if the business isn't profitable.

The answer is more housing which would reduce the cost of housing! We can't keep pumping money into the economy to drive housing costs higher and higher!