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Original poster

Min wage £10 per hour?

80 replies

monkeysox · 21/04/2017 09:08

In an ideal world it would of course be better if the lowest pair were no longer reliant on tax credits etc.
How would businesses afford this?
If makes a mockery of skilled trades who are paid just over this rate now (north)
What aspiration would there be for young people to learn a trade (think electricians or similar) when they could get £10 per hour stacking shelves for example.

I don't agree with what the tories have done to education and NHS bus this labour policy seems poorly thought out.

OP posts:
wizzywig · 21/04/2017 09:09

Obviously great for those earning under 10 p/h. I wouldnt be able to afford my nanny if that came into force

Original poster
monkeysox · 21/04/2017 09:48

It wouldn't be great for everyone though as the cost of everything would go up as a result?

OP posts:
AdviceNeededPlease2 · 21/04/2017 10:12

In theory the minimum wage should have gone up to that amount over time (the past 15 years or so.) It didn't and wages stagnated because of Tax Credits etc imo. People got their wages topped up by tax credits so businesses didn't need to raise wages much higher, now it's got to a point where people are too scared to do extra/earn extra/do more hours because they won't be any better off.

In my job, when the minimum wage went up to £7.52, it was great for those at the "bottom" of the chain as they got a good pay rise. For those in the higher tiers it wasn't so great. I got a pay rise but the gap narrowed between me (supervisor) and the assistant meaning I have a lot more responsibility and pressure yet earn on a fraction more than the assistant who doesn't have the pressures and responsibilities I have. It's almost worth me becoming the assistant as i'm wondering if all the shit I have deal with is worth it for so little extra?

With the £10 mw coming in at such a fast pace (rather than a gradule rise like it should have been over 15 plus years) it means it's great for unskilled workers etc but rubbish for those who are skilled/trained workers because they won't get the same rewards.

itsacatastrophe · 22/04/2017 09:10

I earn less then that as does dh so in theory - great! However if wages go up then so does everything else so I don't imagine we will actually be any better off in real terms.

NameChanger22 · 22/04/2017 09:15

It should be that now. I'm not a Tory, but I do agree with them that we should have higher wages and less benefits. The problem is that they're only only dealing with the less benefits side of it.

OdinsLoveChild · 22/04/2017 09:39

Businesses used to afford this, bringing in the nmw 20 odd years ago meant thousands of people had their salary dropped or frozen because businesses now only had to pay nmw. It was now acceptable to pay someone less as the Government provided that starting point whereas before a company was judged on its salary scheme so more pay meant better quality. Nmw put a stop to competitive salaries and people being paid what they're actually worth.

A £10 nmw will only push up prices because businesses put profits above all else and they will want to continue making their huge profits so increase costs to cover the wages as a result.

Anon1234567890 · 22/04/2017 16:50

Where the hell would the NHS and schools get the the money to pay everyone a £10 nmw, and who would employ an unskilled 18 year old if they had to pay them the same as a skilled worker? This is a nuts idea.

PlymouthMaid1 · 22/04/2017 18:30

Eveything will go up but my current ten pound an hour job will stay the same so I will be worse off and as said above, resent doing my job for min wage.

Leopard12 · 22/04/2017 19:18

I totally agree about the gap closing between skilled and unskilled maybe it should be a percentage increase on anyone under a certain wage or a sliding scale but I imagine that would be very hard to implement. I worked in food microbiology for a short time, the job advert said it required a science degree (or lots of relevant experience which is impossible to get unless you did it a long long time ago) but paid minimum wage, the people working there said the wages hadn't really moved in 10years so minimum wage caught up and the company said due to the competition and stingy supermarkets/suppliers looking to cut costs they couldn't rise wages, and then they wondered why turnover if staff was so high! what's the point in doing a degree/training/stressful job/extra responsibly for similar pay, same is happening in the NHS with hca wages closing the gap on qualified nursing staff.

Leopard12 · 22/04/2017 19:20

That was longer than I thought! I do feel for people on lower wages, I just think the gap between top and bottom needs to reduce no one needs millions to live on but not the gap between low and low/middle

justmeee · 22/04/2017 19:30

That works out at nearly 19 grand. Which is a lot. I am against it, a lot of graduate wages are lower than that - or is everyone going to be given a 5k hike? I doubt it.

Ylvamoon · 22/04/2017 19:30

Eveything will go up but my current ten pound an hour job will stay the same so I will be worse off and as said above, resent doing my job for min wage.

Totally agree, there will be a massive wage inflation for skilled workers in in the £10/h or a bit above wage bracket.
I agree with a nmw but all within reasons. Small business won't be able to afford this, which will result in cutting back on staff, less jobs available, higher unemployment,....
On the other side, business is forced to put prices up, things are less affordable which results in reducing production,....

Clarence81 · 23/04/2017 09:44

I agree there will be no incentive to climb the ladder or gain skills for what was traditionally 'well paid' jobs if you can earn the same in an entry level job. In addition, I feel it rewards complacency. There is no incentive for people to better themselves and be ambitious in their roles or to change roles like there was before if it will be given on a plate. I also agree that prices will go up to afford it.

BurnTheBlackSuit · 24/04/2017 13:35

The minimum wage in a full time job should be enough to live on. I'd like to see tax credits abolished.

TrollMummy · 24/04/2017 17:27

Wages for middle earners have stagnated because employers are trying to cover their costs both with minimum wage and the introduction of workplace pensions. The wages of those at bottom of the ladder are increasing while others who have worked longer and are more experienced are struggling to deal with increasing pressure and cost of living increases while not having had a pay rise for years. While I agree that employers have to pay a decent minimum wage this should be relevant to age, experience and job role with fair wage increases for ALL.

SoloDance · 24/04/2017 17:34

Some minimum wage jobs absolutely should be paid £10 an hour. Careworkers and child care workers to name two.

Seems to me that some of you want to keep the low paid down.

Slothlikesundays · 24/04/2017 17:48

I'm a nurse, with 3 years training and a degree and I get £11.20/hour. If minimum wage went up to £10 an hour I would seriously considering leaving my very stressful job with a lot of responsibility for a minimum wage unskilled job.

scaryclown · 24/04/2017 17:50

Has nobody heard of trickle up economics?

scaryclown · 24/04/2017 17:52

lol at the nurse who thinks because her wage is shamefully low, that she 'wins' by making others worse off.. you will still have a wage lower than you want if you do that,,

Pinkandwhiteblossoms · 24/04/2017 17:52

I am in favour of this. People will still want to be electricians because generally speaking life is better as an electrician than a shelf stacker. A shelf stacker is still working hard. They deserve it.

Tobuyornot99 · 24/04/2017 17:52

Sloths I was just coming to say the exact same thing! Who'd be a registered nurse for a pound an hour more than a health care support worker? We've a national nursing shortage without this on top.

NoMudNoLotus2 · 24/04/2017 17:55

SoleDance it's not about wanting to keep the low paid down.

It's an unfortunate situation that mw hasn't increased over a period of years which means now there is going to be a big hike for mw earners and the pay gap between skilled and unskilled workers is getting smaller.

So a checkout person at Asda who hasn't done any extra training or got any qualifications can be earning just a pound or two less than someone who has done years of training to gain skills for their job or takes on much bigger/dangerous responsibilities. The pay reward in doing that is not going to be enough.

Pinkandwhiteblossoms · 24/04/2017 17:56

Well, a few reasons.

Nurses have permanent contracts and therefore can access a mortgage, can reliably plan around their families and so on - a carer on a 0 hour contract can't.

A nurse might start on £11.20 per hour but he or she won't finish on it. It goes up. The carer won't.

Plus, why are nurses only earning £4 more than the minimum wage as it is now, that is my question?

Fucktifyno · 24/04/2017 18:00

I am a small business owner and i employ 20 people. Each and every single one of them earns more than me. On the face of it, the business is hugely sucessful, busy, popular etc. But staff costs to maintain the level of service and standard of product we have always provided mean the profit is non existent! Raising NMW to £10 would be terrible for us. NW here.
I have a job during the day as my business hours are evenings.

Slothlikesundays · 24/04/2017 18:07

I don't dispute that all people work hard. I've worked many minimum wage jobs before I qualified. I'm also not saying I disagree with raising the minimum wage but I do think many graduate professions don't get paid as much as people think they do. I never went into nursing for the money but a lot of nurses have at times a crippling level of responsibility. My comment says more about the stress of nursing at the moment than anything else.
I would never bregrudge someones right to earn a fair living wage.
I also accept the point that my wage won't stay at that rate, whereas people working at minimum wage jobs will.