to wish that people would acknowledge people like me

[sweethoneytruffle]

I work full time, but a combination of rubbish working conditions and poor hourly pay means I take home approximately £270 a week. This varies a bit and it sounds okay until you factor other costs in.

Out of this I obviously have to pay living costs, including council tax. I also have to pay for car insurance and petrol (job is based in the car so I can't sell it) I work anti social hours, starting work at 6:30 and finishing at 11 but not being paid for that as it's split shifts.

I don't know if I am really bad at money management, but I always seem to be skint, even when I have just been paid, I'm broke!

But we are not mentioned much, it's always about benefit cuts and delays and sanctions. I seriously have £5 in my purse, one tin of soup and a packet of biscuits until Friday!

Oh I remember that come to think of it yeah.

I only live with my brother temporarily. I was until recently paying all those things. I'm trying to save up to afford the agents fees on a new place as otherwise I can't afford to move, the last landlord sold the flat so I had to move out. That's literally only happened in the last 2 weeks.

SnowWhite it's not only evening work ha I wish.

Its awful that companies can get away with paying so little

This applies to so many companies. DH works for a major supermarket chain for pennies over NMW. It is a disgrace because this is not a living wage so many families are receiving tax credits.

This means that the state is subsidising low pay employers. Fair enough where these are small companies which would fold otherwise but when this is a major international business? It is absolutely wrong.

sweet I know how difficult your situation is.
I had what would be called a good job and never earned more than you.
The only concession I had was 25% off my council tax.
It costs the same to heat and light a room for one as it does for any more.
Have you had funding for education before ? I would get advice from a careers centre local to you.
You write more coherent posts than I do, and I have an MA.
Ihad to pay for myself for the MA - I had enough to live on according to the figures, even after the fees. I didn't,- had to take on a night cleaning job.

It's a disgrace what people are asked to live on, the minimum wage should be the living wage and the living wage should be higher.

Suggestions about how OP could increase her earrings would be great if she weren't already doing the job she's doing.

Her job is essential to society, why doesn't caring for people's basic needs when they can't manage themselves count as a valuable job that provides a fair wage. It's a job that takes many skills to do well, and people doing it should not have to be preoccupied with money worries and college courses.

I'm just wondering OP if you'd considered respite care?
We pay an agency for ours since SS cut it. Someone comes to us for 4 hours a week.
It's still care but in one place at a time for a four hour block.

There was a really interesting thread a few months ago I think - about how often people showed how little idea they had about life on a low income. This same topic was returned to with people being told to retrain or get a better job.

The fact is the OP is doing the job she's doing.

Why shouldn't she be able to live? I understand people are trying to be helpful, and hopefully she will think about obtaining some qualifications but what if she couldn't?

She still has the right to live comfortably after working full time!

OP you are definitely NBU. My best friend is very disabled with a progressive neurological disorder and she is entirely dependent on two carers coming in twice a day. They are amazing with her - her DH is out at work all day and her children are too young to do much, so she is completely reliant on her carers to get her out of bed, washed, dressed, fed - and the reverse in the evenings. Some of the things that they have had to deal with is shocking - think gastroenteritis....

Anyway, I completely agree with you. Single, NMW workers are often completely ignored by the politician's rhetoric. All we tend to hear about is the "hard working families" - which is an insult to the people who don't have a OH or DC and just makes this section of society feel even more isolated than they do already.

Anyway, this doesn't help your situation. I can see that you are very limited in terms of time to concentrate on your professional development - but something that you could do is draft a CV and then, if you have a good relationship with them, ask your line manager to have a look through and suggest ways of improving it so you stand a chance at those other jobs that you are applying for - or even promotion within your company.

You are young and you have more skills that you think you do. Good luck.

NMW workers are one of the biggest and most important areas of workplace reform that are required and potentially could benefit the entire economy, reduce the budget deficit and provide real incentives to work as well as enhance the lives of many vulnerable people.

I am astonished LABOUR is not putting forward policies along the following lines.

1. A standard national employment contract for al employers and employees that prevents zero contract hours, broken shifts or any other practice that reduces pay below NMW.

1. NMW minimum of £10/hour.

1. No tax or NI at all on those earnings.

1. No 'working for benefits' or any kind of work for no pay as 'interns' or 'work experience allowed.'

These policies would immediately boost the economy as people on NMW spend every extra penny they earn. It would increase incentive to work rather than be on benefits. It would stop workers being exploited. It would remove much of the complexity in the benefit and tax credit system.

I do not for one minute believe it would cause unemployment. It would reduce corporate profits.

High street shops have closed due to high rents and rates and lack of customers and the internet. The big retailers all pay NMW and are doing just fine - profits falling but still in profit.

It really is fallacy trotted out by big business that raising NMW would cause unemployment. Raising NMW actually would put money n the pockets of people who would spend it instantly and boost the economy.

Far far better than any f the so called stimulus Quantitative Easing by Bank of England. Putting money in real pockets for real work of real value that has been done is a far better way to stimulate the economy.

I am no socialist but the tosh that big business talks on this issue even has Labour running round scared. Fair days pay for a fair days work.

I earn a lot more than NMW but really its something that grates on me.

I think some people who have never lived and struggled on a low income have no idea of the struggles people face. Some of the posts on this thread are patronising quite frankly, the op is telling you that she doesn't have a moments spare time to 'study' and the same lines are being trotted out that you are not that bad off or go and study or find a new job. Yeah because it is really that easy. Mumsnet is like a parallel universe at times.

fluffling one of the sources of funds for MoreBeta's suggestion would be a reduction in various benefits (and the bureaucracy required to support them) which would not be required if pay rates were raised.

The NHS is paid for out of the same funds as pay for benefits. Left pocket, right pocket but it is the same pair of trousers.

Emmeline thanks but it is maths/science where I wouldn't be able to access the studies (don't have a GCSE in either) - English has always been fine.

Thanks to others as well. I don't want to study really. Just want to earn enough to live, without getting pregnant!

I don't know why there aren't demonstrations or more mass strikes in the UK to highlight companies paying less than a living wage,
you don't get paid when you're on strike, striking is the preserve of the comfortable. the idea is to hurt the company into giving you better conditions, not force yourself into worse poverty.
Also legal checks of striking means that it's unwise to do it without the backing of a union, (it's not as easy as screaming everybody out).

Unions cost money, (more money than they actually need when you consider that they make political donations with said money also). (so again unions are the preserve of those who can afford a unionised workforce).

Sweet, just wanted to add I agree with posters who are at the way big companies are subsidised by the hard work of ppl like you and also by taxpayers if they need top up benefits. Similarly landlords who cash in on high rents and housing benefit. How very true that giving the same money to low waged would lead to far more economic stimulus than allowing all to be hoovered up by the fat cats.
Looks like Thomas Piketty (french economist) is right he says nowadays its the people who own stuff (property and companies) who get rich at the expense of those who work and it sounds like you work bloody hard. Makes me ashamed that we cannot pay the most important people enough so they don't have to worry and can be comfortable

ah thanks :) I do work really, really hard and get tired.

OP I remember it well. Starting at 7.30 for the up and dressed calls, mid morning medication calls then lunches. Finish at 3, then back out at 6 for dinner calks, evening Meds calks and bed calls finishing after 11pm.

Each hour only clocking up about 30min paid due to travel time.

Seriously though look up providers if short breaks for carers in your area. You'd then do 4 hours in a hit before moving on.

cabbageandgravy - there is definitely a war between capital and labour.

It swung too far towards labour in the 197s and it nearly destroyed the country. The pendulum has swung too far the other way now and the Financial Crisis nearly destroyed the country and it might still yet because capital holds to much of the power.

Those empty shops on the High Street are only empty because the banks that own them (after loans to landlords defaulted) are holding them off the market and can afford to do that because interest rates are so low. High street shops would prosper if the capital values fell and rents fell but that would hurt the banks. Same with house prices and rents on housing.

Its complex but the economics matter a lot here. People on NMW are competing with desperate immigrants. Business loves immigration to keep wages down and reductions in worker rights. It increases profits at the expense of workers.

On top of low wages capital has also had a huge subsidy from Quantitative Easing with lower interest rates and savers have suffered but borrowers have not seen all the interest rate reduction passed on. Poorer people with overdrafts, personal loans and credit card debts and who rent their homes have seen hardly any reduction in the interest rates and rent they pay.

2. NMW minimum of £10/hour.

The trouble is, as wages go up so do prices.

Wage/inflation spiral can get out of control, and interest rates rise to compensate. too many people over-extended themselves when buying houses and couldn't afford an interest rate rise.

Said interest rate rise would lead many to not be able to pay their mortgage loans, and therefore default and face repossession.

Excess stock in the housing market caused by stock "freed" by repossession would cause supply to increase faster than demand (especially as people waited to get mortgages", this would cause prices to drop.

Pushing people into negative equity, owing more money than the house is worth and causing them to run off and leave their houses (like people did in the 90's).
then banks don't get their loan payments in, and institutions collapse...

the rest of the world may, (but almost certainly isn't) ready for a repeat of the recession that started in 2007 when this exact story played out in America...

If every mw worker retrained and left their position the country would be on it's knees. I don't think some people realise how many jobs that require our society to function or at least maintain a standard we expect are nmw. That's not even considering that there are simply not enough vacancies nmw or otherwise.

I would welcome a rise of mw but think it would be a very temporary fix. Imho it would be far more effective to make the costs of living more affordable. Investment in social housing, public transport, tighter regulations on the profits of companies providing essential utilities. Things that can happily co-exist next to a commercial equivalent whilst ensuring a basic standard is independently achievable by anyone in a full time job.

OP the only advice I can really offer is to consider looking for positions based on one site. You'll save a fortune not having to maintain and use a car to be able to work (which by the way is one of the reasons I left care. A car is an expensive bit of equipment to provide with no financial help to maintain it - the sums just don't add up a lot of the time). There are some great homes or supported living complexs that employ carers or support workers on-site but you do need to hunt a bit through the gazillion agencies. If you know of any organisations in your area have a look at vacancies directly on their websites. Indeed.co.uk is a good job search engine.

notauniquename - we really need a fall in house prices and rents to allow people on lower wages to be able afford somewhere to live without requiring housing benefit.

If wages are stagnant or deflating so must the cost of living. We really do need a reset and the financial crisis was a warning sign. The financial crisis is not over. It was just covered up. We still need the deflation that is happening in parts of Southern Europe. People who are retired, on fixed incomes or not getting pay rises to match inflation will benefit from deflation. It is the very rich that suffer most from deflation. For most people deflation and a write off of debts would be a good thing.

Cornettoninja - I agree with everything you said.

I am with you OP. Many friends in this situation. No eligibility for anything much and at the bottom of the pile for council houses.

If the govt support you with extra top-ups the employers will use it as an excuse to recruit people who will work for even less. And there is no shortage of people who will do that.

I agree that your situation is not really addresses - except in a lip service way.

Cannot say more as have to go out but I admire you for getting on a doing it.