NMW to rise to £11.44 per hour in April 2024

[MikeRafone]

Good news for those on NMW, as there wages will rise from £10.42 to £11.44

This is a big rise before a general election...

Um, I think it's quite different to suggest to someone earning NMW to get 3 jobs.

You can't really compare your situation of 3 well paid flexible or fixed (so you don't have to juggle) roles to expecting someone to get 3 0 hour contract cleaning jobs.

It's £11.45 - there really isn't much difference between band 2, 3 & 4.
Only that you need training & qualifications for band 3 upwards.

And a better pension than the poor girl in Costa, aside from far more career mobility, enhanced maternity provision, better holidays better flexibility etc.

UC is increasing as well, so if you get UC on top of your wages you'll be better off.

Are you single and no children? Just I don't think it is workable if you have children and are married/partnership. When is the time for family etc?

@ginandtonicwithlimes well she's certainly privileged!

They need to up the funding given to nurseries, per child, if they are going to do this. My nursery will close if they don't. Simply can't afford to pay the amount of staff needed to run it in ratio.

@smilesup Talk about stating the obvious...
I already have 6 part time jobs.. 2 are March-October, the other 4 are all year around, as well as being a seamstress and selling in 2 outlets .. all of this needs slotting together week by week, as only 3 jobs are fixed days, and only 1 is min wage PAYE.
So think im already overloaded thanks!

Oh and theres another 2 jobs i periodically fill in for now and again..

I will earn about 20p an hour more than the new nmw in April, better than some granted. I do have more responsibility.
But, I get my rota two days before it starts, part of my job role is to chop/ change hours at short notice to cover the needs of the business, I cannot just clock out when my shift ends if I'm still needed.
Not really conducive to getting another PT job around it when you don't actually know when you're available!

Many low paid jobs are like that.

I'm lucky now because I am salarield, but that means as costs are cut my workload goes up and becomes more unpredictable. And most part time jobs either want full flexibility or set days/times. I cannot offer either.

I know this thread was from November but as the NMW increase is looming I thought I’d comment on this thread.

The NMW or living wage should increase but for those of us with far more responsibilities and stress, in my case 14 years experience, the gap closes and there is no point continuing taking on these extra responsibilities. I also have to take my travelling expenses into consideration (I have a 50 mile round trip every day) and now I have a different employer, who in December didn’t even realise that the NMW was increasing (that alone is a whole thread in itself) so the £13 I earn per hour, once travel costs are deducted, will mean I’m virtually taking home the same as our wonderful, hard working cleaner.

Yes I need to look elsewhere, that’s a given but I’m entitled to feel upset that certain employers really don’t give a shit, especially if you’re a woman! 14 years loyalty counts for Jack shit!

Our employer hasn’t even spoken about this since I brought it up in December! He’s hardly ever in the business so April the 1st will come and go and some members of staff will see their wages increase and others not.

I could cry, only here to vent and in my case it’s more about my employer!

@VictoriaToria rule no1 the company will hire another you tomorrow. What field do you work in? There's loads of companies offering at least part week working from home start applying for a new job ASAP.

You’re right, as upsetting as it is, loyalty really doesn’t get you anywhere.

My role involves dealing with customers who have purchased a high end product, who expect only the best aftermarket experience. I’m expected to maintain a highly professional service, often in very stressful situations where the product has not met their expectations. I smooth the waters if you like, I turn a negative into a positive and multitask to the nth degree! I take the pressure off management as my experience means I can deal with a problem without involving them on a daily basis! The type of product means that there could be a multitude of issues requiring action! Never a dull day!

I’m being quite cryptic as don’t want this post to be outing but I face challenges every single day!

I do have an obstacle in my way in the form of a chronic illness which is in remission but I have to have continued treatment every few weeks. This could be a barrier to any future employer!

Unfortunately our employer doesn’t regard us as anything more than a number! One of the only positives is that I do love most of my colleagues.

I hear you!

It's like in the NHS. The cleaners and Band 2 staff will see their wages rise a full pound come 1st April, whereas the Band 3s have been told nothing. They have no idea whether their years of experience and extra responsibilities will count for anything. There has been no communication whatsoever. How do they think that makes employees feel? They show that their employees have no value to them whatsoever. Just a number, easily replaceable. If you don't like it, leave. Arghh. Makes me so mad!

@chocolaterevs absolutely. I’m a nurse, junior but with a lot of experience. Can’t see the point doing my very stressful job. Like you say most of us are just numbers.

This is so true. I work for LA and we get £12.70 complete radio silence about whether it goes up or if it goes up. It’ll be union/ strikes/ back pay again if they don’t tell everyone what will happen. My other job is £10.50 which is and have been told will go up to £11.50.

There's no point! I feel so sorry for the pay bands between 3-5. I'm noticing that new roles seem to be being created for 6/7/8 and it has been mentioned by management that they are creating opportunities to retain staff at those levels. Great, what about the chumps at bands 3-5 who basically run the show.

We have registered medical professionals with medical qualifications, who could easily kill someone if they make an error, who from April 1st will be paid 27p more an hour than Aldi, since Aldi recently upped their offer to £12.40 p/hr.

Anyone reading this thread, I strongly advise you to encourage your children to put their time and energy into learning skills that are well paid. There is nothing more demoralising than studying, assessments, qualifications etc etc all for barely above minimum wage.

Sorry, it just makes me mad. At least have the decency to announce what the pay will be - Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Lidl, Waitrose have all managed to announce the new pay rate over the last 6 months. That shows decency and respect for their employees.

It’s funny how people are wringing their hands and saying an extra quid an hour for low paid workers will inflate inflation, destroy small business and ruin customer service.. and yet companies having to routinely pay the ££££ salaries of MN high earners ( or high earning husbands) is right and proper as those high earners must be properly compensated..
Surely it’s better people can live (just) on their wages than the taxpayer props up wages with benefits? And if a small
business can’t pay their staff 11.44 an hour without going under their business is not actually viable.
Other jobs are very badly paid, so hopefully those jobs will find it a little harder to take the piss. I would like to see less of a gap between the £23/32/38 k salaries most people are on and the salaries of the top 5%. But more of a level playing field won’t destroy the economy- far from it, as lower earners spend.

@PontiacFirebird I absolutely agree with everything you have said.
People complaining about the least paid getting more money are just idiots!

@everythinglooksbetterpaintedblack So when a more skilled worker who’s trained for 3 years and got a degree, works in a stressful environment, lots of autonomy to keep patients safe, gets a couple of pounds more than those doing an unskilled job, you think that will attract and retain potential nurses. Perfectly happy for the low paid getting more but what happens to those not much above minimum wage ? Are you happy for taxes to climb to fund a wage increase for those workers?

I presume they will have a better pension in the long run whereas those on unskilled jobs won't?

@Thekatzenjammerkid the problem is that nursing has always been low paid, regardless of what someone in Aldi gets paid!
People have been willing to train to do such an important job for so little money, with poor wages regularly advertised.
I had this conversation with dd1 when she was training to be a nurse.
It's an overwhelming short paid profession!
But this does not take away from the fact that minimum wage workers deserve their wages rising

@everythinglooksbetterpaintedblack thing is nursing might have always been low paid but th3 job has changed so much it’s a shadow of what it was and I say that as someone qualified 30 years +. My point is why train for a now far more stressful and challenging job when you can do something less emotionally and physically demanding. We’ve already got a massive problem with retention. Many trusts are just recruiting international nurses because it’s cheaper and they are less likely to leave/be tied in to long contracts. It’s a ticking time bomb. But no I don’t begrudge a rise to NMW but I wish folk would be happier to contribute more tax to get a happier nursing workforce !

@ginandtonicwithlimes our pension isn’t that great now considering what we have to deal with. Many of us are left with chronic physical illnesses because of it. I’ve got high blood pressure, arthritis and a prolapsed disc despite leading a relatively healthy lifestyle but 30 odd weeks a year of nights and heavy physical work has contributed to it.
Essentially you’re suggesting that because our pension is better than a private pension but not much, we should be poorly paid, forever ? A degree and the considerable responsibility from day 1 should surely entitle us to a decent wage and pension when we are confronted with things that a shelf stacker rarely has to deal with. Not all of us sit in a comfortable office and few work until their mid 60s like some professions.