..to think that £6.15 an hour...

[BertrandRussell]

.....really is shit wages?

YANBU and if an 18 - 20 yr old is doing the exact same work for less pay then I think it's completely unfair. I remember working as a 15 yr old but being paid so much less than those older than me when in fact I was getting all the shittiest and hardest parts of the work, it fucking sucks and is so demoralising.

You should be paid according to the work you do, not your age. An 18 year old working in a shop is doing exactly the same job as a 25 year old, so why should they be paid less?

If the justification is that older people have more outgoings, does that mean that once people have paid off mortgages they can be paid less again?

(And London weighting is not statutory, plenty of workers in London are on the national minimum wage.)

Really? 18-20 year olds are happy with 6.15 an hour? Could you live on that?

Sounds like his first job. Did you expect him to earn much more? My first job was as a silver service waitress for £2.50ph. Long shifts in a hot kitchen carrying heavy trays of food and desperately trying not to spill it over wedding/funeral guests.

It's too low. We need a higher minimum wage and it needs to apply to all employees, irrespective of their age.

@Sparklfairy there is no London weighting for the minimum wage. You may be thinking of the living wage.

Does he need to live on it?

I agree that you should be paid for your job not your age. Why should an 18 year old get less money than a 22 year old for doing the same job?

Not all 18 year olds have parents who are willing or able to still financially support them, but what chance do they have when they're paid so low?

Ds19 lives at home, is in university and has worked in his part time job since 16. He’s on £10.50 p/h in Wales.

“Sounds like his first job. Did you expect him to earn much more?“

I expect people to be paid a wage they can live on. As it happens, this is a part time job alongside a college course, and he will be living at home. But lots of 18 year olds aren’t as lucky as he is.

Crikey, that’s less than we pay out apprentices. And they’re 17, being trained for 18 months, and doesn’t include their performance bonus.

Hard to live on that in the SE, unless you’re at home with parents, or living with a better paid partner.

The living wage is something like 9 an hour. Which means that they think all 18-20 year olds have someone subsidising them. Which means kids with rich, generous parents are fine and care leavers, young people with abusive or just poor families are screwed.

Great times we live in.

“Which means kids with rich, generous parents are fine and care leavers, young people with abusive or just poor families are screwed”

Yep. This.

We need a higher minimum wage and it needs to apply to all employees, irrespective of their age

@leghairdontcare that would not be good for youth employment rates. Young people are already at a serious disadvantage in the job market and having this lower minimum wage really encourages employers to take a chance on them.
I think lots of us would like those on the lowest wages to earn more, but the lower wage for younger employees is in my opinion a good thing.

If he’s part time, while going to college as well, that’s effectively an apprenticeship.

Sorry but that’s about the going rate. He will cost his employer about £10 an hour to employ so will he generate more than that?

leghairdontcare I'm not up to speed anymore, but 10+ years ago I worked minimum wage at a supermarket in London but was paid more than if I worked for the same chain outside of London. Fully admit I'm out of the loop since the Tories came in and screwed with the system

Does it matter what work it is?

Of course it does. If a job doesn't require much skill, one would expect it to pay less than a job that requires a higher level of skill, a degree or advanced degree, etc. You wouldn't expect a job washing dishes to pay the same as a job doing neurosurgery.

I do think the concept of a minimum wage based on age kind of odd, though.

I earn £8.00 odd per hour. It's shit. I have 4 teens I have to feed and house on my own.
But at least It's a job.

steff13 it's a con conspired by corporates based on the likelihood that teens and young adults have fewer outgoings

Really? 18-20 year olds are happy with 6.15 an hour? Could you live on that?

I think the wage is too low. However, I don't think that whether someone else could live on it is an apt question. I couldn't, but I have a mortgage and three children. Presumably most 16-18 year-olds don't have a mortgage and three children.

When I say it doesn’t matter wht job it is, obviously I can differentiate between washing dishes and neurosurgery! But I don’t think an adult should be paid 6.15 an hour for anything. You can’t live on that. If it’s not practically next door to where you live, a chunk will be taken up by travel.

Yes it's low but define 'live on'. People's circumstances vary so much that there will always be a group of people who can't live on any particular wage.

There's a thread going where people are claiming they couldn't live on £2k pm as a single person with no housing costs.

An 18-21 YO could live at home with their parents and the job could be within walking distance and that £6.15 ph could translate into nearly a grand a month in spending money.

Or they could have significant commuting costs and a partner and a couple of DCs to support and everything in between.

“Presumably most 16-18 year-olds don't have a mortgage and three children.“
They are paid even less! This is 18-20 year olds, who might well be paying rent.

Are they paying for him to study as well?

Presumably most 16-18 year-olds don't have a mortgage and three children

No - but a good number of 18-20-year-old would like to be able to live independently; are in permanent relationships; and may well be supporting a child.

I think it's a disgrace that the government have a sort of 'phased adulthood' system whereby one can drive, get married, drink, smoke, vote and be expected to make contributions via tax/NI etc (ie, adult 'stuff') yet won't be paid for doing the work of an adult until they're 20? Serious question, have they upped the age at which someone is classed as an adult?!