To think with min wage going up 6.7% that

[Frugalcheesecake]

Minimum wage is going up 6.7% next year. My pay has gone up by tiny amounts in comparison to this and is stagnating some years compared to inflation. I only earn a bit above min wage and I find my job very stressful.

Yes I know some minimum wage jobs are stressful but Ive done some that are easy too. AIBU to think that if min wage gets close to your wage a lot of people will quit just to get an easier min wage job if they can find one that is less stress

Minimum wage going up isn't the issue.
It's the effect on those who are on just above the minimum wage but who have extra responsibilities / expertise / knowledge but whose wage isn't increasing as much so the gap between their role and NMW is reducing

You can support NMW going up
You can also ask if the wage of others near NMW should go up

@cakeorwine yes I don't mean that as such
More the other threads that are "25k a year min wage!" And astonishment that people need that much

Goodness no! It’s just an unfortunate side effect of having to really spell things for those with poor reading comprehension.

Again, are you intending to be patronising? Not sure why you've assumed some strange air of superiority (you're not superior).

This is the kind of domino effect that further fuels inflation which is the obvious elephant on the room. If the people at the bottom of the pay scale gets a pay rise then the group slightly above it also wants a pay rise then the group above them also want a pay rise and thus is continues until everyone is earning more and prices inevitably rise to fund the increased wage bill.

It harms economic growth, it harms employment and ultimately nobody feels any richer because everything is more expensive anyway. Labour are absolute fools for doing! They don't care though because it makes them look like they are on the side of the working poor when in fact they are completely screwing them (and everyone else) over.

@Serencwtch you hit the nail on the head ,that's the true reality of work in a supermarket and hardly any 30 hrs contracts the majority being 16 hrs a week.

Lol. It actually concerns me that you cannot detect the sarcasm - makes me wonder who you surround yourself with, or perhaps you are just spending too much time on Mumsnet.

Thank you for pointing that I am not “superior” - and in such a condescending manner too. I shall make sure I walk around a bit stooped today to ensure my nose is not so high in the air…

If the Conservatives had done the same thing, would have you argued that as well?

" Labour are absolute fools for doing! "

The Conservatives massively increased NMW in their time. The aim is to get it to 60% of median wage.

But as you said, it goes up, so people slightly above expect a pay increase etc

I definitely would criticise any government that did this. Especially in the inflationary environment we still find ourselves in and how the NMW rise has been compounded by the National Insurance changes. It is terrible policy and seriously damaging any prospect of economic growth, which is the only realistic way we are going to get out of this mess!

The Conservatives certainly weren't perfect (understatement of the century!) but Labour have been astonishingly bad. They are a terrible combination of being too ideologically driven and frightened to overtly place the taxation burden on the general population for fear of losing popularity and breaking stupid pledges that never should have been made.

I’m sorry but having worked in a supermarket and then in “life and death” jobs it’s really really not comparable. The odd supermarket arsehole vs high pressure stress everyday is just not comparable. I’m not saying it’s an easy role in a supermarket but it’s a whole lot easier than people are trying to make out!

I worked in a supermarket for 5+ years and certainly wasn’t “abused on a daily basis” wtf?!

Ds has just got his first job a couple of months ago and despite him being initially thrilled that the age bands changed so he'll earn £11.44/hour rather than £10.18, that enthusiasm and excited has since dulled, He frequently says - what do they expect for minimum wage? He'd have been much happier had the age bands not changed and the minimum wage for his age was lower but his employer wanted to pay him £11.41. Comparison is the thief of joy and whilst he'll get a rise in April - he'll still feel resentful and unappreciated because he's only getting the minimum and I think that's a problem - people don't see the minimum as good now it's improved - they still feel being paid the minimum is a bit shit.

I agree. But sadly, inflation is probably the only way out of the mess that the country is in. With inflation, we can "inflate away" some of our huge national debt. It's the lazy way! The "right" way would be to increase our manufacturing base, reduce the balance of payments deficit, etc and actually genuinely "grow" the economy. But the lazy way is inflation alongside "rotating" the money around to give the illusion of GDP growth which is what Brown/Blair did with their largesse of giving away taxpayers' money (well borrowings actually!).

what Brown/Blair did with their largesse of giving away taxpayers' money (well borrowings actually!).

I see it’s time for this to come out again.

Again, patronising.

Not ideal but that is a better position than say those whose shifts are likely to dry up because the business wants to cut costs in April. Which is going to happen.

I worked in a supermarket for 5+ years and certainly wasn’t “abused on a daily basis” wtf?!

Verbal abuse is a daily occurance in supermarkets. Physical abuse is rising as well. Obviously its not the same worker every day but incidents happen pretty much every single day.

Sorry @Bumpitybumper didn't mean to add your quote

The minimum she is barely livable as it is. The problem is other jobs aren't paid enough. But no I don't think people will quit in droves - much minimum wage jobs are fairly monotonous and if rather he doing something interesting and with some prospects.

Yeah I often felt that working on Google Docs at 3am, answering client emails on weekends, and getting my laptop couriered to me in hospital so I could approve actions. Work is its own reward and all that

Ok be deliberately obtuse. Yes that's exactly what I was saying 🙄

I wasn't being obtuse, I was asking a question based on your comment.

Let me start by saying I am all for the increases in minimum wage.

I recently left working in education after being a TA for ten years. When I joined my wage was considerably higher than MW. By the end, I was pennies above MW despite a wealth of experience, being top of my pay grade and a Masters qualification. This was due to tiny annual percentage increases and no chance of career progression.

Pay wasn’t the only reason I left, but it was a big part of it. The responsibility and stress wasn’t worth it any more.

No one could support themselves on a TA wage. I could only do it because DH was well paid… TAs get about 70% FTE due to only being paid for school hours in term time only.

I have returned to my pre-kids career and now earn a proper wage again (and haven’t been hit or kicked, and no one has tried to throw a chair at me). But it’s sad I had to leave a thoroughly fulfilling and vocational role. Higher differential wage would have made it harder to leave.

Shelf stacking can be hard work.

The problem is with the employer underpaying.