General Discussion
Good News!
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/16/george-osborne-backs-minimum-wage-rise-7-pounds
Also the UK economy is starting to pick up, can't have Labour get in and wreck everything again.
Paul@You never seem to grasp the WORLD recession caused by the WORLD'S Banks 7pounds per hour is a insult to the working man or woman 12 per hour would make a good starting point. But this is how the Tories work they throw a few crumbs to the working class and they are grateful.
@leatash where paul and wondering are concerned your banging your head against a brick wall , they havnt got more than a pea for a brain between them
Roberta .. I suggested on the other post, shop workers could get 3 times at £18 an hour...for that would you be prepared to pay more for your shopping. Notice not one reply to that lol
Have noticed some Labour people revert to slagging people and foul words when they dont have an answer.
All for an increase in the minimum wage but just two things I'd like to (cynically) point out:
1. I saw a programme the other day (for the life of me I cannot remember what it was) but it was something to do with more money being released from the Treasury for something or other. It was pointed out by someone that we should be aware that the Treasury puts something or, more to the point, appears to put something in the financial pot only if it (Osborne) thinks it will actually result in more money going back to the Treasury. Which is my rather long winded way of asking will this increase in the minimum wage result in a reduction in the amount of benefits being paid out and how much will it increase the amount the Treasury will get back by way of tax receipts?
2. There is a General Election due in approx 16 months time.
What you're saying is ridiculous. You want people with no skills to be given high salary jobs.
Get some skills and get a high salary job or start a business to pay yourself a high salary.
Otherwise you just have to take what you're given. It is the same rules for everyone.
Anyone, but mainly @Roberta and @Leatash. (They have ago at me readily, so I thought I'd say something back, only fair)
Making the minimum wage £12 an hour is a lovely idea, as is giving loads of benefits to everyone. However it is not possible.
If everyone pulled their weight in this country (except the people who genuinely can't) we would be living in a great and prosperous nation.
Such a shame things have been allowed to go so wrong.
@Lynne, i believe it was discussed in length yesterday on various programmes that this will have an estimated zero effect on the treasury and is therefore seen as a neutral proposal. but then it seems he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, you can't have it both ways. either people want the minimum wage to be raised to nearer a living wage or not. yes, the amount paid in top up benefits would reduce, but there will be a corresponding rise in expected out of work benefits because some firms will choose to lay people off rather than pay the higher wages. however, it does mean that people will be standing on their own two feet more, which can only be a good thing in the long run not only for the country but also for their own benefit in not having to rely on handouts so much and being tarred with the same brush as those out of work completely and claiming benefits (if you see what i mean). personally i couldn't wait to get to a position where i didn't need top up benefits anymore.
From today's Telegraph:
"Some economists have suggested that increasing the minimum wage would deliver a windfall for the Treasury, as workers would pay more income tax and claim less in benefits.
However, the Treasury calculated that a £7 wage would be revenue-neutral because a fall in company profits would offset tax gains from workers."
Right.......so........if workers are paying more in tax due to an increase in their pay then they won't necessarily be any better off then? Might they even be worse off? So tax gain to Treasury is neutral but workers on minimum wage could be worse off?
What annoys me with Paul is he thinks anybody on minimum wage are not hard working and dont pull their weight. Most people on minimum wage work very hard doing mainly physical work, I know my husband and I certainly do, and we claim no top ups, but do not decry anybody who needs to. Not everybody is academic to gain qualifications, some people are more able to do manual jobs. For years the aspirations of successive Governments has been to push through further education, not everybody is capable of this, but that does not mean they are unemployable. Even the modern apprenticeship scheme is flawed. I had a friend at school who was a dunce but what she could do with a sewing machine was spectacular
@Lynne that was kind of the point i made in my other post lynne about a small increase actually ending up with people no better off. what it does also mean though is that because the lowest wage has increased, then most businesses would have to increase the wages above that level to keep a difference between them, so actually more people would then see an increase as a result of it and that is also where the additional tax income for the treasury would come from. the only way though to get people off of benefits in the long term though is to gradually increase the minimum wage in line with the living wage and then encourage people to gain promotions and increases in their wages as time goes on and shaming more companies into paying the living wage instead of the minimum wage and for the govt to stop subsidising the low wages paid by businesse by benefit top ups. if people can't/won't take a job because they can't live on the money it would give them then supply and demand will mean that companies will have to pay a living wage to get the workers they want. at the moment that safety net of top up benefits from the govt prevents companies feeling obliged to do that.
@roberta modern apprenticeships aren't perfect but they do allow children in education to see that there is another path for those who are better with hands on stuff than academic stuff. my nephew recently completed an apprenticeship and is now fully employed and loving what he does, his gcse results were pretty dreadful because he just couldn't cope with the academic side, but at what he does he is brilliant. no scheme is perfect, but the results we have seen from this one have been excellent and just what he needed.
Paul@ You may not have noticed but there aren't any jobs not even for those who have spent years at University I have a relative who has amazing qualifications but is on the minimum wage working in child care part time on zero hours contract a total waste of a great talent.