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Original poster

Am I right to be annoyed at my earnings?

17 replies

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 13:00

Please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place, but i'm after an outsiders perspective please.

I work for a private family run business and have done for the past 9 years.
when I started I was approx £3 above minimum wage. Which, at the time was a fair wage.

During my employment my job has changed quite a lot, I still do some parts of my old job, but most of it now I am responsible for various tasks that have been delegated to me over the years. I'm not sure I would say I have been "promoted" as such, but I have definitely been given extra responsibilities.

Since 2015 my wages have gone up by £1.83 in total... meaning as it stands today, I am now on Minimum wage.

I work less hours now due to having a baby a few years back, but I am still the same hard working reliable employee I have always been. I admit, I should have kept on top of what I was earning, but I just haven't. I don't feel using me being a mother / part time worker would be a fair reason to not give me some kind of pay rise for my responsibilities.

I have this week gone through everything over the last 9 years, what I earnt when, what pay rises I received and when. I asked for a pay rise last year, which they argued "you will have received a cost of living increase" which wasn't really what I was referring to, but they gave me an extra 36p per hour. It's only this last week i realize how crap that was and its now (coincidentally) exactly the same figure as 2024 minimum wage (£11.44).

Am I right to be angry about this?! £1.83 over 9 years feels like a pay cut, especially with how much costs / inflation has increased in that time.

How can I go about putting my case forward? I want to call a meeting with the boss in the hopes that it's just an oversight on their part... though deep down I know its not. I have compiled all the info of what I used to & currently earn, along with reasons why i think i deserve it (hard worker, loyal, gained experience, extra responsibilities, etc) but I'm not very good with confrontation regarding wages.

also... what would you say I should be earning now? What is a fair figure to ask for? I started on approx £9.61 in 2015

sorry for the long post, trying to provide as much info as possible. Your advice would be much appreciated. x

OP posts:

NoSquirrels · 15/05/2024 13:11

Are you prepared to leave if they won’t pay you more?

Bromptotoo · 15/05/2024 13:35

As @NoSquirrels says they have to be convinced you will walk if not paid amount appropriate to your skills.

What's on offer in your area for roles you'd be suitable for. Have you considered applying for somewhere else?

The fact that the Living Wage is going up faster than inflation means a lot of people are in a similar situation. As a skilled worker in a graduate calibre role in now getting about £2/hr over NLW. I'm sort of OK as it's a second career to see me up to the State Pension in 18months time; I have other income from a work pension.

Way back before Thatcher when Unions sorted pay the preservation of pay advantages between skilled and unskilled work was a big thing. I have a feeling that the word 'differentials' might be about to re-enter the lexicon...

Original poster

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 13:39

NoSquirrels · 15/05/2024 13:11

Are you prepared to leave if they won’t pay you more?

I am if there is absolutely no negotiation

OP posts:

Original poster

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 13:42

Bromptotoo · 15/05/2024 13:35

As @NoSquirrels says they have to be convinced you will walk if not paid amount appropriate to your skills.

What's on offer in your area for roles you'd be suitable for. Have you considered applying for somewhere else?

I mean, on one hand it's good that NMW has gone up... but on the other hand if the people who aren't on NMW aren't getting some kind of pay rise along with it, its a bit of a kick in the teeth.

basically, they could employ someone tomorrow with no experience and pay them exactly the same as me. It's demoralizing!

OP posts:

NoSquirrels · 15/05/2024 13:51

You’re right - they can employ someone tomorrow and pay them the same as you. So you need to convince them your experience gives their business added value. Can you demonstrate that somehow - clients you have a good relationship with who spend a lot of money, or whatever?

What could you earn in an equivalent position in a different company locally?

You’re in the strongest bargaining position when they have something to lose and you know your own worth. Usually that works best if you go looking for a new job and then negotiate if you’re offered one - if you want to stay.

But ask yourself honestly, should you stay? They’re terrible employers. They don’t value you. They take your loyalty for granted. You shouldn’t have to beg for being paid your worth.

I’d actively job hunt if I were you.

Original poster

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 14:41

NoSquirrels · 15/05/2024 13:51

What could you earn in an equivalent position in a different company locally?

But ask yourself honestly, should you stay? They’re terrible employers. They don’t value you. They take your loyalty for granted. You shouldn’t have to beg for being paid your worth.

I’d actively job hunt if I were you.

They could employ anyone, but they would have a lot of training to get them up to anywhere near my knowledge and experience.

I'm going to see what other jobs are around locally so i can see what my options are. But hoping it doesn't come to that!

Would you say asking for £3 more is fair?

OP posts:

Gazelda · 15/05/2024 15:17

Are there any local jobs similar to yours being advertised? Use whatever they're offering as a benchmark.

AuroraAnimal · 15/05/2024 16:02

£3 more an hour is a 26% payrise. It's worth asking but as they already seem reluctant I think that's probably unlikely.

Why are you reluctant to leave? If you're on minimum wage now you could get any job anywhere, doing anything, and not be worse off. I would definitely be looking in your shoes.

trickotreat · 15/05/2024 16:48

I pay my cleaner £18 an hour. She uses her products.
I pay my PT £50 an hour.

With your experience I feel minimum wage is ridiculous

Original poster

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 17:15

AuroraAnimal · 15/05/2024 16:02

£3 more an hour is a 26% payrise. It's worth asking but as they already seem reluctant I think that's probably unlikely.

Why are you reluctant to leave? If you're on minimum wage now you could get any job anywhere, doing anything, and not be worse off. I would definitely be looking in your shoes.

Yes I agree, 26% is rather alot ... However, had they given me pay rises over the years then it wouldn't have been so bad.

I'm reluctant to leave for various reasons... I've been there so long, I get on with my colleagues, the company have been pretty flexible with my working hours etc it's not a bad place to work, I just don't appreciate being taken advantage of

OP posts:

Original poster

Jcem13 · 15/05/2024 17:16

trickotreat · 15/05/2024 16:48

I pay my cleaner £18 an hour. She uses her products.
I pay my PT £50 an hour.

With your experience I feel minimum wage is ridiculous

Crikey, when you put it like that it sounds crazy doesn't it!

OP posts:

DrStrangesSmarterSister · 15/05/2024 17:58

It's not really about how long you've been there, or what you used to get paid etc. You need to benchmark what other companies are paying their staff to do the same job.

turkeymuffin · 15/05/2024 20:45

trickotreat · 15/05/2024 16:48

I pay my cleaner £18 an hour. She uses her products.
I pay my PT £50 an hour.

With your experience I feel minimum wage is ridiculous

This.

There's a whole host of jobs you can do for more than minimum wage. With 9 years experience in your field you should be able to move on

CaribouCarafe · 15/05/2024 21:13

Honestly, you have nothing to lose from changing jobs - preferably to something that has a better earning potential after 9 years of experience.

Chances are, even if they do give you a £3 pay rise (unlikely, by the sounds of it), you'll be in exactly the same scenario in a few years time again because they're not proactive about employee engagement (which includes fair pay).

FawnFrenchieMum · 15/05/2024 21:24

DrStrangesSmarterSister · 15/05/2024 17:58

It's not really about how long you've been there, or what you used to get paid etc. You need to benchmark what other companies are paying their staff to do the same job.

This ^^

You need to find similar roles or responsibilities and bench mark against those.

FancyBiscuitsLevel · 15/05/2024 21:29

I wouldn’t start with the conversation, I’d start with looking for a new job. Get an idea of your worth.

if you have a firm job offer elsewhere paying more, go back to your boss and say I’ve been offer £X at company Y, I can’t afford to stay on minimum wage anymore. Do you want to match it for me to stay? If they say no, you go.

Original poster

Jcem13 · 16/05/2024 09:23

Thank you all for your helpful replies!

I have a meeting with my manager this morning about something else, so I will mention it to him. but I will likely need to book a meeting with the director to discuss properly.

in the meantime, I will search jobs and see what's around currently.
it's tricky for me to compare other jobs salaries as my job is a bit of a mish mash so I'm not really sure what it would come under.

OP posts:

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