Labour promise to increase minimum wage to £8 by 2020

[Cherrypi]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29299230

Seems reasonable but 2020 is a long way off. Who knows what food prices will be by then. Greens are saying £10.

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I know.. I chuckled and rolled my eyes when I read it. It was a bit irritating them saying it's now 6.50 already though.. I know it's not far away but it hasn't gone up yet.

By 2020. That's more or less two elections away. They have lost the plot. Who knows what £8 will buy in 2020.

And I read that as someone trying to balance the books of a struggling charity with employees on just above NMW and knowing auto enrolment and pension thing is already going to effectively increase the wages bill by 1.5% in the next two years think 'oh fuck' ...we might have to employ less people...or maybe not even survive so anyone has a job at all .

a meaningless promise if not backed by commitments to reducing inflation and tackling ridiculously high costs of living.

with food prices and fuel increases as they have been over the last few years we need a hike to at least £8 right now.

Also if DD1(16) got a job the under 18 wage is £3.78, I got £3/3.50 as a 19 year old 27 years ago

I know that cheap clothes cost about the same as they did then, but nothing else does.

If she works a couple if hours in an evening it hardly covers the diesel to run her about.

What a joke.

Labour. Milliband. Get real!

Blimey Elephants, I had a Saturday job in M&S paying £4.20 *25 years ago.

What the hell is going on with wages? They seem to be going backwards at the moment.

The £8 Minimum Wage certainly looks achievable by 2020 as the economy is recovering, and I believe the independent Low Pay Commission (including trade unions) the Labour Party originally appointed to come up with a fair MW that employers could afford, includes the ‘productivity’ measure and similar economic ‘stuff’ – as mentioned within the recent rises report, below.

www.gov.uk/government/news/one-million-set-to-benefit-from-national-minimum-wage-rise-to-650
“The government has approved a rise in the National Minimum Wage to £6.50 per hour later this year (2014), with more than 1 million people set to see their pay rise by as much as £355 a year.”

“The rise will take effect in October 2014, as Business Secretary Vince Cable has accepted in full the independent Low Pay Commission’s recommendations for 2014, including plans for bigger increases in future than in recent years.”

“The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has said the rise, the first real terms cash increase since 2008, is manageable for employers and will support full employment.”

Apart from wondering what all the Labour 4-year fuss has been about re them hiking wages from 2010 in the midst of the worst recession in 100-years, the question for employers is would a Labour government OVER RIDE the Low Pay Commission in awarding pay, as Osborne tried to influence the last rise, and got a slap.

(Feb 1 2014) “Osborne taken to task on call for £7 minimum wage”
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ebd8aba8-8c1b-11e3-bcf2-00144feab7de.html#axzz32a4m4eoz
“George Osborne was wrong to raise hopes that the national minimum wage could be restored to its pre-recession value of £7 per hour before the election, business department insiders have warned.”

“There is “no way” the Low Pay Commission, which sets the minimum wage, would sanction such a steep rise this side of the election, said one Department for Business, Innovation and Skills insider. “We have no idea how they got to the £7 figure,” said another. “We are baffled.”

Is the £8 for everyone or just over 21s? I think it's unfair the younger are penalised, particularly the apprentices on £2 an hour. Another reason to give 16/17 year old the vote I think.

I hope it doesn't happen it will cause a lot of problems for people on universal credit.

I was earning £8 an hour 25 years ago! really disappointed with this proposal - I started working in recruitment 20 years ago but I'm still working on pretty much the same salaries as I was then! It's shocking what they expect us to work for these days - and yet those at the top and the shareholders are getting ever better pay rises and dividends - it's time the wealth got distributed more fairly.

Yet to hear anything about Council Houses being built and stopping huge companies using tax credits to top up crap wages. I don't mind small companies using tax credits to help growth but why are massive profit making companies using the system when they have more than enough profits to pay their staff a decent salary?

If they are serious about reducing the deficit - stop selling council homes and then renting them back at extortionate prices!!!

Come on Labour be radical!! I'm voting Green, unless Milliband says something that doesn't sound like soundbiting vote winners - their policies are what we need in this country!

I work for the government and we have been no the same rate of a pay for a decade. More for less is their mantra. I think any party that tells you they care about wages is lying.

effectively increase the wages bill by 1.5% in the next two years think 'oh fuck' ...we might have to employ less people...or maybe not even survive so anyone has a job at all sad

Your type of company should be getting help with Tax credits - not Tesco and their ilk!

I've read the green mini manifesto and can't find anything I disagree with. 20mph instead of 30mph in residential areas might be a bit irritating but apart from that the rest are great ideas.

Exactly Cherrypi - who knows in future we may have the right wing Tories voting UKIP, the left wing Labour voters going Green - Tory and Labour will become the outsiders?

Why does anyone listen to that windbag snake in the grass backstabbing Miliband or the Red Tories, anyhow?

HeeHiles we will be getting help with tax credits but it is a reason I disagree with NMW. Maybe exclude smaller employers or ones that run at a loss (although most big business can fix the figures so they run at a loss!).

We pay people the best we can, we have fantastic staff who cut their (paid) working hours without quibble when things looked really bad for us, basically kept us going. Now, at the moment (touch wood) we are doing better than we have for a long time. We are holding onto some money to build our reserves back up - our reserves were the reason we survived and another group didn't - but the staff got a good 'bonus' in Summer and they are likely to get another at Christmas. Which is better than paying more, people getting used to a certain level of income and then having to reduce it. This way they get extra money (if we can afford it) when they need it most...

Well, my husband's wage has been frozen at £8.10 an hour for the past 5 years.
I don't expect it to go up any time soon, so if this did happen his qualifications and experience would be worth nothing and he could earn just as much stacking shelves as he now does as an IT Network Manager.

And so while I appreciate the current minimum wage is rubbish where is the incentive to get on if qualifications only get you minimum wage?

If the nmw keeps goin gup over the years as it has been doing won't it be getting in the direction of 8 an hour by 2020 anyway ??
What I find offensive is that someone of 16 can be working just as hard as some one of 21 yet they don't have the same pay. Wage for a job should be just that if you can do the job then be paid properly, I am an adult and I feel really ashamed that the person working alongside me, doing exactly the same job, gets paid a lower rate. On the other hand there are adults
who are not worth the nmw wage as they are bloody useless. Wages on ability , not age is what I would really like to see.

Cherrtpi .... what is the Green's view on the current £95 billion annual budget deficit on how to get rid of that, start paying off the £1,400,000,000,000 national debt, we are currently paying £52 billion in interest service costs alone - BEFORE interest rates go up and eats further into money available for annual spending on 'great things?

allmycats ..... I totally agree with you, a cynic might say they don't vote at 16-years old. A meritocracy within the Minimum wage might be the answer to make pay fairer, but I can't think how it could work.

bluejeansandbabies ...... in theory a higher Minimum Wage WILL raise the salaries of millions more not too far above, especially as when any economy starts to grow, as it gains momentum the labour markets tighten/less people available, additional skills become more sought after, and wages rise further.

It is already happening for many semi-skilled workers, according to recruiters etc.