Merkel puts her foot down with a heavy hand

[Micilin]

Skyboy - so we are agreeing that an unfettered market is no solution, and some controls are needed?

I'm not defending a minimum wage, so no need to argue against it.

I'm saying that High Unemployment equals lower wages

 

[AronSearle]

Tube driver 40k - what's that about? oh I know unionised rates for the TGWU.

Do keep up, it's 50k.

How dare you suggest they work for such a pitiful 3rd world wage as 40k!

 

[skyboy]

Skyboy - so we are agreeing that an unfettered market is no solution, and some controls are needed?

I'm not defending a minimum wage, so no need to argue against it.

I'm saying that High Unemployment equals lower wages

Yes you are right in fact with the economy everyone can be right because there is no real way to control it as market forces will always prevail..

In principle the minimum wage was a blind alley.

Jobs traditionally poor paid were that way because tips made up a proportion of the wage or that the particular business could not make a profit if the workers were paid more.
The flip side is that many people who are worth or due more than minimum wage will now only get minimum wage as its existance is seen as compliance to a moral obligation when in fact it is not.
This is why working or staying on benefits is such a close call. the minimum wage should have risen long ago and every year.

In my last employed role I was a manager within the NHS and I worked for a salary of 32k plus benefits (health insurance etc) I was working five day weeks of 14hr days including travelling to and from work I worked all my lunches and took no breaks due to the workload. In effect I was on the same hourly rate as my receptionist.

So wages per annum can be very deceptive in terms of the actual reward they represent. Someone on minimum wage working a straight week and having all their lunch breaks and with little if any responsibility was actually on a much better deal than me..

 

[EddieM]

Just remember not to accept any euros with Y's on them