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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Minimum wage

57 replies

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 13:44

Is there anyone on here who dousnt agree that we should have a minimum wage? if so what are your reasons for it?

OP posts:

bittersweetvictory · 04/05/2011 13:50

If we didnt have minimum wage then employers could pay you 50p an hour and you would end up sleeping in a cardboard box, BTW this is a stupid question and the answers are obvious.

FabbyChic · 04/05/2011 13:52

I think it should be £7.50 an hour minimum and £5.00 for under 18's

DooinMeCleanin · 04/05/2011 13:54

I actually disagree that it should tiered by age. Why should a 17 year old get less than a 27 year old for doing the same job?

HalfPastWine · 04/05/2011 13:54

Nope, I agree with the minimum wage. Enough people are exploited as it is, without it life would be even more unbearable for some.

WorzselMaamage · 04/05/2011 13:57

It's not a stupid question at all.

We need a minimum wage which is inline with current cost of living.

People working full time should not need to be subsidized by the tax payer. AT ALL.

I earn minimum wage working nights in a nursing home, I do 2 12 hour shifts a week and earn about £460 a month. It's a pittance.. If i was single i'd rather claim benefits,it's hardly surprising millions do.

sometimes i think we'd be better off without the minimum wage. In the care industry wages have dropped since i first did it 12 years ago.. night staff on a sunday night in the first place i worked used to get £11 an hour.. I earn £6 they pay me that because they can. the minimum wage means all low paid jobs pay peanuts so if work want to work then you have to accept it.

The minumum wage makes employers rich and keeps the workers poor.

strandedbear · 04/05/2011 13:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 14:03

see to me it seems a no brainer that there should be a minimum amount legally paid, but the tories were very much against it back when. with some many people agreeing with the benefits of minimum wage its hard to see why people can stand up for or vote for a party that never wanted this very basic neccesity.

I know from where i work that could my boss (small business) pay me hardly anything an hour he would, it would make better sense for his business to do so. in times like these if we had no minimum wage we would huge swarms of people earning reiculously low wages for working and business benefiting from even cheaper labour and improving thier profits more.

isnt the highter rate due to age connected to the idea of more responcibilities and possible higher living costs, most students ages 16/17 will be living at home with their parents?

OP posts:

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:05

knitted breast - you still get a lower wage if you are 18 - 21 though and most people at that age like independently.

WorzselMaamage · 04/05/2011 14:05

most 18-21 year olds live at home with their parents nowerdays.

Original poster

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 14:07

do they noodle? most 18 year olds live independently? ive not know that. most if not all 18-21 yr olds i know live at home.

especiallly now lol!

OP posts:

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:08

I dont know many that do tbh. Everyone I know here is on minimum wage and lives independently.

Original poster

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 14:09

really? whereabouts do you live?

OP posts:

Hammy02 · 04/05/2011 14:10

WorzselMaamage - I don't see how you think we'd be better off without the minimum wage? Employers would just pay even less than they do now.

I think the minimum wage should be higher than it is currently. It is madness that people have to have benefits when they are working full time, just to have a basic standard of living.

Also, I don't see the logic of having a different wage according to age. It is discriminatory to pay one person more than another for identical roles just because of their date of birth.

Ishani · 04/05/2011 14:10

If somebody does the same work what does it matter whether they are 17 or 27, that's the part I disagree with, but I think too many employers are dickheads and so cannot be trusted to pay people properly so we do need it.

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:11

Devon. I moved out at 17 and my wage was £2.60 an hour at the time as I was too young for the real minimum wage. I didnt think it was fair then and I still dont now when a lot of my colleagues are living out on the 18-21 minimum wage and doing the same work as every one else but getting paid less. They still have all the same bills and utilities.

olderandwider · 04/05/2011 14:20

If I had to pay a 17 year old the same as a 27 year old, I guess I would employ the 27 year old, as I would assume (all things being equal) they would be more experienced, mature, and possibly with more responsibilities and therefore more likely to stay longer term.

Having different rates of pay means a company is more likely to employ people across a range of ages, which is probably a good thing.

It may look unfair, but without wage differentials the unintended consequence might be to put more young people out of work.

26minutes · 04/05/2011 14:20

That is one reason I will never vote tories (amongst many others) knittedbreast. DP is on minimum wage and works full time. Without benefits 'top-ups' we would only have £2000 left after paying the rent so imo minimum wage needs to be much higher and rather than a scale for age it should be dependent on the skill & risk involved in your job. DP is a lorry driver, yet earns the same as a shop assistant for example, that should change imo. My dad delivers medicines to chemists, hospitals & doctors surgeries. Yes he is paid more than minimum wage but probably equal to that of office staff wage (from looking at job adverts) and for the risk he takes (there's a lot of methodone etc on some of the runs) I think he should get paid a lot more.

Original poster

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 14:28

26 mins im guessing you didnt mean to write that you only have 2k left after rent right?

OP posts:

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:31

We would only have about 3k after mortgage if only my husband worked.

Ishani · 04/05/2011 14:31

Depends on the nature of the work if somebody still wanted a certain job at the age of 27 in our company you'd find it most odd, they should have moved onwards and upwards by then. But if they did want it I don't see why they should be paid any more than a 17 year old who would be equally qualified and lets face it minimum wages jobs rarely require 10 years experience in your field.

Original poster

knittedbreast · 04/05/2011 14:33

only 3k after mortgage?

different worlds. sigh

OP posts:

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:33

Depends on area here Ishani 45% of people are on minimum wage

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:34

Most managers jobs here are £6.50 - £6.70 that includes shop and restaurant managers. Also I know nursery managers on that wage.

Hammy02 · 04/05/2011 14:35

What's with all this complaining about £2k & £3k after mortgages/rent? I assume they are typos. Surely full time on minimum wage is just about £1000 a month before tax? Unless you are talking annually?

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 14:40

£900 take home pay mortgage is £655 so that leaves £2940 a year left over after mortgage.

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