So if the Minimum Wage increases...

[missbunnyrabbit]

My own wage in a public sector job seems lower than ever. The article I read suggests the public sector pay freezes will end, but I doubt we'll get such a large pay rise!

Aibu to feel like packing my teacher job in to go and work a minimum wage job instead?

I worked pretty hard and got a masters degree in order to get into my career. I'm perfectly happy for minimum wage workers to get this pay rise even though it's not affecting my salary, and I'd be perfectly happy if it meant that I earnt the same as them. What is important is lifting people out of poverty and improving how we all fare as a society - why would you care how you're doing in relation to the lowest paid? Do you get some sort of ego boost from it?

Our wage essentially dictates our quality of life. Why would I think myself entitled to a better quality of life than a care worker or a supermarket worker just because I went to uni?

What we should be doing is focusing our energy on the people at the top who are exploiting workers and not paying taxes.

[quote DreamingofTimbuktu]@missbunnyrabbit - so you went into teaching as an adult not a teenager. It has never been well paid, but it’s certainly not minimum wage. If you don’t want to do it then quit and let your students be taught by someone who wants to be there.[/quote]
Good luck finding a teacher these days! We have a job advert out currently for a core subject, excellent school and can't find anyone...
If every teacher quit tomorrow, a supermarket worker wouldn't be skilled enough to step in and replace them. But if all the supermarket staff walked out, anyone could replace them, including myself.

A lot of teaching wasn’t actually done over zoom as the teachers didn’t feel safe and it infringed their privacy.

Some lower paid jobs have immense responsibility
Ambulance call handlers? I mean you have someone's life in your hands, it doesn't get much more stressful. Pay? Band 3 in most areas

My job is stressful sometimes, busy most of the time. Not much responsibility (I can't kill anyone) but I handle around 200 calls a day. Min wage, plus commission

If we are paying according to qualifications, responsibility and stress then can we give all the NHS staff a pay rise? Plus ambulance service and police...,

@Explosivefarts

Sorry, but I think those furloughed SHOULD be the ones to pay most of it back. Not massive amounts, not all of it. But it infuriates me to think of people (cough ex-boyfriend cough) sitting at home, binge watching TV, whilst still getting 80%, while key workers like me are slogging our guts out and putting ourselves at risk of covid.

I don't want to hear 'we're all in this together'. No, I'm sorry, it's been MUCH easier for those sat at home than it has for us still working, still at risk, and doing more than our usual workload.

It's not their fault that they're furloughed. But life's not fair. I have nothing but envy for those sitting at home who work for big chains and are still guaranteed a job when they go back

I kind kind of the the argument for this. Let’s be honest, some people got to sit at home all day for months on end getting paid 80% of their wages…. Others were stressed to the hilt, with hardly any staff and had to struggle on.

If we’re taking about what’s fair etc…. Some people had a far easier time than others

Ok OP let’s try your calculation:

£9.50 37 hrs week 52 weeks = £18k

£26k / 52 weeks / 37 hrs = £13.51 hrs. BUT on top of that you get sick pay, at least 10 weeks holiday (as opposed to 5 elsewhere), plus your employer contributes to your pension at least 15%? You may work 50 hrs a week but it isn’t for 47 weeks a year.

I've done all those types of shifts posted above. They were easier than teaching. maybe try teaching and you'll know what I'm talking about. ;)
And for those saying I'm should quit teaching, I have thought of it many times, but the childen make me want to stay. I have seriously considered going back to supermarket work otherwise.

Anyways, I'm off to bed, have fun :D

@Clocktopus

And as an example rota, how does this suit you?

Don't forget the good old split shift! 11am to 4pm then back from 7pm to 12am.

And the AFD ones 11am - finish in hospitality. Grim My worst was 7pm - 7am when the clocks go back. Lovely 13hr shift

Ive asked for it to removed

All those shifts above aren’t as easy when you have a baby and are trying to sort childcare.

Average income for someone in teaching for 3 years £32k

You say you work 60 hours a week - 32000/52 then divided by 60 =£10.25 per hour

You do not earn under nmw

I’m happy that minimum wage is increasing. It’s wrong that people on minimum wage can work 40 hrs a week and still need help from the benefits system. We have to start paying the lowest paid a decent wage. I’m not on minimum wage and I certainly do not expect my salary to increase at the same rate. The lowest paid in the U.K. have been taken advantage of for too long.

@missbunnyrabbit

I've done all those types of shifts posted above. They were easier than teaching. maybe try teaching and you'll know what I'm talking about. ;) And for those saying I'm should quit teaching, I have thought of it many times, but the childen make me want to stay. I have seriously considered going back to supermarket work otherwise.

Anyways, I'm off to bed, have fun :D

Sure it’s only 23.56, don’t you have more marking to do?

I do think the op is on to something with her mention of equal pay rises though.

Instead of (keeping this simple for ease) everyone getting 6%, so someone on £10 ph getting £10.60, and someone on £100 ph getting £106, everyone getting 60p per hour means the pay gap doesn't widen.

I'm not sure she actually meant she wanted an equal pay rise, however...

A lot of people up in arms on this thread. No one is saying that people don’t deserve to earn enough to live on. NMW goes up, prices go up but people working in skilled jobs etc won’t feel any benefit and if anything their money won’t stretch as far.

I have been a supermarket worker on NMW, yes it was tough, the public were awful, the hours were crap and general morale was low. Do I think it’s harder than my job now that I studied years at university for? Nope, not even close. Sure it was stressful, meeting tedious deadlines and being a human machine was stressful, but when the shift ended, it ended. Now in my current role, I get paid 36 hours per week, work with families a typical 7 unpaid hours a week (I can accrue TOIL that I never have time to take), and that’s not taking into account the hours I sit on my laptop at home on an evening or a weekend just to keep my head above water because the industry has gone to the dogs. I don’t begrudge anyone a decent wage, but unless everyone gets an increase it makes it feel like the pounds are worth so much less because the hours actually put in (as opposed to those paid) significantly reduces your hourly rate and it does make me wonder why I bother doing a job that I feel like I’ve sacrificed my soul to when I could take a pay cut for a job that is stressful but not that stressful.

@Wife2b

A lot of people up in arms on this thread. No one is saying that people don’t deserve to earn enough to live on. NMW goes up, prices go up but people working in skilled jobs etc won’t feel any benefit and if anything their money won’t stretch as far.

I have been a supermarket worker on NMW, yes it was tough, the public were awful, the hours were crap and general morale was low. Do I think it’s harder than my job now that I studied years at university for? Nope, not even close. Sure it was stressful, meeting tedious deadlines and being a human machine was stressful, but when the shift ended, it ended. Now in my current role, I get paid 36 hours per week, work with families a typical 7 unpaid hours a week (I can accrue TOIL that I never have time to take), and that’s not taking into account the hours I sit on my laptop at home on an evening or a weekend just to keep my head above water because the industry has gone to the dogs. I don’t begrudge anyone a decent wage, but unless everyone gets an increase it makes it feel like the pounds are worth so much less because the hours actually put in (as opposed to those paid) significantly reduces your hourly rate and it does make me wonder why I bother doing a job that I feel like I’ve sacrificed my soul to when I could take a pay cut for a job that is stressful but not that stressful.

Totally agree

I have not read all through the read, mea culpa, but what is probably more concerning is the affect, not only to smaller individual private businesses (as mentioned child care) whose income is going to be stretched to breaking point, but also to organisations like the NHS, local councils workers etc etc
But maybe that's the point - another push to privatization
In years gone by the government use to subsidise lower paid which made them more economically viable not only within the UK but Internationally. If companies have to pay more, more will go to the wall. & more companies will leave the UK
UC is a way of decreasing pay to many who are low earners -this is a way of putting financial pressure on companies
What has been discussed here is pay differentials. With respect, with pay freezes there won't be any & someone who has hard won & earned skills, knowledge & responsibility should be recompensed for this?

@FluffyBooBoo

I do think the op is on to something with her mention of equal pay rises though.

Instead of (keeping this simple for ease) everyone getting 6%, so someone on £10 ph getting £10.60, and someone on £100 ph getting £106, everyone getting 60p per hour means the pay gap doesn't widen.

I'm not sure she actually meant she wanted an equal pay rise, however...

Definitely not. As mentioned numerous times now, having a degree is the only criteria on whether you deserve to be paid a fair wage or not.

I wonder what OPs opinion on apprenticeships are. It’s further training, but still not a coveted degree. It would probably not pass the “deserve to get fair pay” criteria in her book.

This thread is a huge eye opener. I’ve worked with some people who have little qualifications (our company actually pay for you to complete these while you work with us), and I’ve worked with people who were completing PhDs and needed a side income. In terms of their ability in work? Honestly, pretty similar across the board. If anything, at a push, I’d say the more “intelligent” workers were slightly less capable and sometimes lacked the quick “common sense” reaction that is needed in a busy retail environment.

A degree simply means you have an ability in that one sector. It doesn’t mean you’re a better or smarter person across the board. My dad is a farmer, for example. Obviously no degree and barely any qualifications. But is genuinely one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. He can fix anything. In most cases, can diagnose an animal with what is wrong before the vet even comes out (to confirm and prescribe medication/do surgery). Excellent business acumen. Unlimited knowledge on anything you’d ever need to know about the industry.

A teacher would walk onto a farm and unless they grew up on one, they wouldn’t know where to start. How to drive a tractor. How to calf a cow. When do animals get doses for fluke and worms? What types of liability insurance are needed? Doing all your farm paperwork and accounting. Honestly, it’s an endless list.

And we all know how little most farmers (I’m not talking about intensive/large scale operations) earn. Yet their job feeds the country.

The OP has it all wrong. Every profession has positives and minuses, and the negative traits of teaching are well documented. It’s exactly why I never wanted to go into that industry. A degree doesn’t make you any more worthy than anyone else.

@minatrina

I worked pretty hard and got a masters degree in order to get into my career. I'm perfectly happy for minimum wage workers to get this pay rise even though it's not affecting my salary, and I'd be perfectly happy if it meant that I earnt the same as them. What is important is lifting people out of poverty and improving how we all fare as a society - why would you care how you're doing in relation to the lowest paid? Do you get some sort of ego boost from it?

Our wage essentially dictates our quality of life. Why would I think myself entitled to a better quality of life than a care worker or a supermarket worker just because I went to uni?

What we should be doing is focusing our energy on the people at the top who are exploiting workers and not paying taxes.

This ..absolutely everyone deserves a decent pay and to have a decent quality of life. Many people have a really strong work ethic but are not rewarded because they had a poor education….it actually massively upsets me !! I work with care workers and they work 12 hours a day,get up at 530 ,do their LFT ,walk to work because they cannot afford bus/ taxi and then work 12 hours..if they are lucky someone gives them a lift home..otherwise they have another long walk home !

I think it’s a fair point that all wages need to rise but what will happen in many companies is that only the minimum wage will rise. Which destabilises everything. So you get supervisors paid 5p extra an hour. The effect of taxation is greater the more you earn due to the tax free amount. It’s not really a good thing for anyone as the middle incomes are the ones spending a high proportion of their wages on cafes, restaurants, shops, hotels, beauty, nurseries etc.

@NotMyCat

Some lower paid jobs have immense responsibility Ambulance call handlers? I mean you have someone's life in your hands, it doesn't get much more stressful. Pay? Band 3 in most areas

My job is stressful sometimes, busy most of the time. Not much responsibility (I can't kill anyone) but I handle around 200 calls a day. Min wage, plus commission

If we are paying according to qualifications, responsibility and stress then can we give all the NHS staff a pay rise? Plus ambulance service and police...,

I agree being a carer also isn’t a walk in the park.

This thread is one of the bleakest reads on mn I've ever read

I do think this thread shows a bad nature toward others. Mustering up bitterness when comparing yourself to the bottom line is part of the problem.

Also, I don't understand how you cannot see the glaring difference between salaried and unsalaried work. If you or your DC are ill, you have to consider whether you can afford to be off. How stressful is that?

I agree begrudging someone on the lowest pay an increase because your not getting one is not a nice attitude

Do it then op. Seriously if you believe life on 9 quid an hour in a supermarket is going to be better, and I presume afford you a good living standard, by all means follow your dreams.