To think minimum wage is dire. What hourly rate would you work for?

The 13.15 is my new wage I should add, increased for NMW increases. I'd previously been on £12.80 when NMW was £11.44, so the gap between my pay and NMW has shrank again. Last month I was £1.36 above NMW, now I'm 94p.

I now work for £13.15 which is marginally over the NMW. I work in hospitality as a less senior member of the management team. The only reason I bother to do this instead of being a waitress is because I get fixed guaranteed hours a week (too many actually at 48). Anyone who isn't management is on 0 hours contract, although they'll likely be offered more when the labour bill comes into action. I might switch at that point.

I think NMW is actually pretty high for a lot of the jobs it covers. Its continual rise has made the pay gap in hospitality almost nothing. When I was starting out my managers were generally paid ateast £2 more per hour than I was, but that gap has closed over the years. Once zero hours is banished, and legal rights become equal there will be no benefit to me remaining in management. Way too much stress for £13.15 per hour.

This - the kind of responsibilities given to bands 2-4 in the NHS for either NMW or very little more are unbelievable.

I'm a band 4 in a "specialist" service, expected to have extensive experience in my work area and at least level 4 qualifications (I have degree) yet I can very nearly earn the same in Aldi as entry level. Can't believe most on band 2 or 3 even bother tbh!

I did a minimum wage job for 3 months after I took voluntary redundancy and it shocked me! I didn’t even earn enough to have to pay my student loan contributions! I’m now on £44k and wouldn’t go lower than that.

Currently working for £12.54 but that was since pre min wage increase. I suspect there will be a long and protracted negotiation and I’ll see a pay rise backdated to now end of the year or next year if previous years are anything to go by.

We in Ireland. Aldi pay around 14euro. You would need that with prices here. Im on 15e. I was temping few years ago got barely 13. Wages arent great here in some fields.

Where I live the minimum wage is $7. A loaf of bread costs $5. So no, I don’t think the NMW in the UK is that bad, but like everywhere, it’s the rent and housing costs that make it unaffordable.

Minimum wage=minimum effort.
screw those big businesses who are trying to screw you.

Employers will always push to pay as little as they can get away with, employees need to push for as much as they can get.

Totally agree

Most "advertised" jobs seem to be offered at minimum wage. Even where a skill is required with a formal qualification such as fork-lift driver.

DC went for job as "assistant manager" in a retail shop which included key holding and opening and closing shop. The pay was 20p per hour more than then minimum wage. Ha!

It’s stagnated massively. Since the 10p tax rate was scrapped this is a travesty. The upper rate has also stagnated. So very very rich people are successfully getting middle income people to blame low paid people and vice versa. When the issue is really that we a) have very low tax for very very wealthy people (not Bob on £60k but Boris on £1million) and b) we tax families more punitively than almost any other country relative to individuals. When you consider that benefits are based on household income but tax is based on individual income with no longer tax credits helping those with dependent children it’s patently unfair.

I can assure you they are not - I work in the industry. We have just advertised a full time job with starting salary of less than £23k. We are in the south east.

Tbf actual bin men (public sector not private waste collectors) are paid reasonably well.

My pets hate is 'entry level' wage, giving the impression that it's a step up. For the vast majority of adults earning that level, it is all they can expect at any age. Promotion may add a nominal amount which, after Mr Taxman gets at it is paltry but get all the responsibilities, commute costs eat into an already shit wage.

Because the alternative is greater poverty?

@ARealitycheck mentioned jobs that are desperately needed, like carers, are paid far too low. You would have thought that jobs that many people don’t want to do, eg bin men, cleaners etc, would be hard to fill, so would need to pay more to attract people to the role. Instead, these jobs that the country relies on, maybe/maybe not skilled, physically hard jobs, possibly unpleasant work, pay NMW. It makes no sense.

Why should anyone have to sacrifice the best days of their life for a return that pays poverty wages?

Unskilled my arse. Everyone's time is precious!

Most people don't have a choice, if they are out of work they have to apply for jobs so that they are meeting their work commitments for Universal Credit.

I'd work for whatever it takes to survive.

I find the phrase "willing to work for" a bit odd. For most people, working isn't a choice, and if they can't get a job that pays more than minimum wage, that's what they get. Willingness doesn't come into it.

My husband is the same, once his wage used to be amazing however his employer has not increased wages to the same extent as minimum wage has been increasing meaning the gap is closing and he said once minimum wage is closer to what he gets paid he would be just aswell working in a easier and less physical job.

Agree with parts but it’s crazy to say that a business is unreasonable for increasing & decreasing hours due to demand- that is just finance & life. There would be next to no local cafes, shops, restaurants etc without this because lots of businesses have predictable highs & lows and would go under themselves if for 6 months of the year they were paying a full staff full time when they don’t even earn enough to cover their own rent those months (as is the case where we are, very seasonal).

I don't think that the better paid amongst society understand that MW is the expected norm for many, many roles and not just those that are traditionally seen as low paid ie hospitality, retail and care. Even the supervisors, managers and team leaders in those industries are often only paid a nominal amount extra to MW....Managing or leading a team requires skills, qualifercations and experience but probably only pays a £1 hr extra..
I have a friend who is an NHS bed manager (a very skilled and stressful role) but is only paid £13.57 hr another friend is a clinical support worker, which again is even lower paid, NHS admin are general only a band 2 or 3 (a bit above MW) ...In the real world that's what many, many experienced, skilled people are earning and working damned hard for it too

Presumably you will be increasing your wage in that post? Loads of professions start on low wages, but end up being decently paid

Minimum wage is low in the UK. But what pisses me off even more is that in 4 months I'll be earning £1.70 an hour more than minimum wage, in a role that took years to learn and cost me thousands to qualify for

I might as well take the pay cut and drop all the stress once it's come in to force.