Page 12 | To think raising NMW is a good thing

Kilot · 2025-11-26T12:13:39+00:00

The poorest in society will earn more. Companies will have to pay more, benefits will drop.

twolittles · 26/11/2025 12:29

turkeyboots · 26/11/2025 12:22

It will further damage youth employment. Who will pay £26k to someone with no experience?

I would, have always found very young and inexperienced employees to be highly motivated and grateful for the opportunity to start gaining experience.

Cynic17 · 26/11/2025 12:28

No, it will just add more pain for small businesses, charities, care homes, arts institutions and other valuable services. So even if they don't close down altogether, they will employ fewer people or offer fewer hours of work per week.
Anyone who thinks that this is all marvellous because Big Bad Rich Companies will get a hammering is completely deluded. Everyone pays, because we either lose jobs, pay or services.

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:28

LadyHexham · 26/11/2025 12:26

I ran a village store and post office.
There were no millions.

Show quote history

This is exactly the sort of thing I mean

Beddiem · 26/11/2025 12:27

LadyHexham · 26/11/2025 12:26

I ran a village store and post office.
There were no millions.

Show quote history

Exactly! It’s not all about neo-capitalists extracting billions of £ of profit by exploiting the backs of workers blah, blah, blah. It’s the garage / cafe / corner shop that employs one less person as a result.

ShesTheAlbatross · 26/11/2025 12:27

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:24

It’s not forcing businesses to collapse. It’s forcing the owners and shareholders to give up some of their millions of profits.

Show quote history

It’s not “forcing” them to do that either. There would be a number of different ways for a company to deal with increased salary costs, one of which is reducing profits, another is raising prices, another is cutting staff.

Original poster

Kilot · 26/11/2025 12:27

I believe it’s rising by 50p an hour? So for a full-time, 40hr/week employee (which most on NMW aren’t) is £20 a week or under £100 a month. If a business can’t absorb that, it’s not viable and being propped up by the state.

OP posts:

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:27

I genuinely don’t care that some businesses can’t afford to pay their workers.

Why are we more bothered by protecting business owners than the working class?

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:27

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:25

Or not run a business that cannot pay its workers a living wage.

Show quote history

Like the majority of shops / restaurant/ call centres etc. Or just the small businesses?

Imissgoldengrahams · 26/11/2025 12:27

kittywittyandpretty · 26/11/2025 12:19

I bet there’s plenty of money for the shareholders, though

Show quote history

Oh absolutely
I actually work in an NHS building, its crazy to think how much they are actually getting paid. Its money I could only dream of
I left a retail job as I got made duty manager, for a 20p increase in my hourly pay. Which was minimum wage.
I left a year ago, they haven't replaced me as they can't afford to so they are just running on bare bones staff and then customers wonder why retail workers are rude because we are being stretched thin 😩

Christmascarrotjumper · 26/11/2025 12:27

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:24

It’s not forcing businesses to collapse. It’s forcing the owners and shareholders to give up some of their millions of profits.

Show quote history

Not every business can do it, and those who can might not. They'll cut hours, drop standards, up prices for consumers before they hurt their bottom line. It will hurt small businesses and those lost jobs might not be replaced.

Fleetheart · 26/11/2025 12:26

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:25

And the small businesses without " shareholders" ?

Show quote history

small businesses still have a responsibility to pay staff a living wage. Or do you think the government should support those people ?

Namechang44 · 26/11/2025 12:26

Of course that’s good news.

Many will try to frame it as bad news, hurting business. Businesses and profits are prioritised over low earners.,

BadgernTheGarden · 26/11/2025 12:26

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:18

That’s on the business owners who won’t cut the profits they take home…

Show quote history

A lot of small business owners hardly make any money, one I heard was saying he's putting his own money in to the business to pay wages, which is unsustainable, and just hoping things improve in the budget or he's out of business. Small business owners are not exactly fat cats.

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:26

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:25

And the small businesses without " shareholders" ?

Show quote history

Don’t have a right to exist? You don’t have to run a small business. If your business is not turning enough of a profit to pay your workers, you can’t be in business.

LadyHexham · 26/11/2025 12:26

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:24

It’s not forcing businesses to collapse. It’s forcing the owners and shareholders to give up some of their millions of profits.

Show quote history

I ran a village store and post office.
There were no millions.

Nincompoo · 26/11/2025 12:26

Companies will put prices up, or employ less people.

Anything that damage their profits, or result is less money for their shareholders will never happen. These massive minimum wage-paying companies have little to no social conscience.

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:25

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:24

It’s not forcing businesses to collapse. It’s forcing the owners and shareholders to give up some of their millions of profits.

Show quote history

And the small businesses without " shareholders" ?

igotbills · 26/11/2025 12:25

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:18

Trouble is the cost of everything else will go up to pay for it and no one gets any better off

Show quote history

Absolutely everything is going up anyway regardless of NMW

Fleetheart · 26/11/2025 12:25

Christmascarrotjumper · 26/11/2025 12:24

I don't disagree with you, but forcing businesses to collapse means unemployment. And that's even more expensive.

Show quote history

A lot of these companies can afford more but they would rather use it to bolster shareholder profits. It’s the wrong balance. Look at Coca Cola for example. Do you really think they can’t afford to pay their Costa Coffee staff a living wage?

MincePudding · 26/11/2025 12:25

How will companies pay more? Oh yeah, charging more. Brilliant.

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:25

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:25

But not all the businesses are making that much profit to cope with paying extra wages AND not putting prices up.

Say someone is running independent tea rooms/ coffee shop for example.so they have to pay more wages for staff. . Fair enough. But then of course everything the business is paying for are going up as well.

So the option is to have less staff, or put up prices. Or should all small businesses be priced out of the market

Show quote history

Or not run a business that cannot pay its workers a living wage.

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 26/11/2025 12:25

On a wage tied to nmw but a set amount above it. I do qualify for uc so from every extra £1 i earn 20p goes to tax, 8p will go to NI, 5p will go to my pension and 55p will be clawed back from my uc. For every £1 I will be 12p better off but you can bet prices will increase by more than that.

Thechaseison71 · 26/11/2025 12:25

AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers · 26/11/2025 12:18

That’s on the business owners who won’t cut the profits they take home…

Show quote history

But not all the businesses are making that much profit to cope with paying extra wages AND not putting prices up.

Say someone is running independent tea rooms/ coffee shop for example.so they have to pay more wages for staff. . Fair enough. But then of course everything the business is paying for are going up as well.

So the option is to have less staff, or put up prices. Or should all small businesses be priced out of the market

maddiemookins16mum · 26/11/2025 12:24

Our business has already cut jobs since the increase in Employers NI and the last min wage increase. I’m dreading what happens next. I say that as someone earning 24K a year.

xanthomelana · 26/11/2025 12:24

Companies will just put up prices so we’ll all pay more to cover the cost. In my workplace we’ve seen the impact of the hike in NI, usually we employ double the amount of Christmas temps that we have this year. Shareholders will never take the hit and you are naive if you think otherwise.