According to the Trades Union Congress;
“As of 1 October 2007, the adult rate for workers aged 22 and over is £5.52 per hour. The development rate for 18-21 year olds and for workers receiving accredited training in the first 6 months of a new job is £4.60 per hour. The rate for 16-17 year olds starts lower at £3.40 an hour.”
No I haven’t just noticed this, but I want this to be a key campaign for BULS over the coming 12 months. I find it completely abhorrent that we treat our younger workers differently. Now that the minimum wage has successfully worked, whilst still promoting economic growth, lets build upon our foundations and really entrench it into society, as a cornerstone achievement of this Government.
[...] Untitled- JournalHome.com wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt According to the Trades Union Congress; “As of 1 October 2007, the adult rate for workers aged 22 and over is £5.52 per hour. The development rate for 18-21 year olds and for workers receiving accredited training in the first 6 months of a new job is £4.60 per hour. The rate for 16-17 year olds starts lower at £3.40 an hour.” No I haven’t just noticed this, but I want this to be a key campaign for BULS over the coming 12 months. I find it completely abhorrent that we treat our younger worke [...]
This would be a really good campaign for BULS to run!
I agree! Am working next week as a temp, I will get 4.60, another girl will get 5.60 and another will get the lower rate. We are all doing the SAME JOB. It’s shameful- I think its so long since the minimum wage act that most young people are more annoyed that the rate varies than they are glad that there is one at all… Labour need to sort it out before they get seriously resented for it!
Now that the school leaving age is up there is no justificaiton for a lower rate any more (I believe it was originally to encourage people to stay on). It is a wonderful chance for Labour to put out a hugely popular policy that will improve their status with young voters…
what i consider to be more damaging is that the national minimum wage does not count for employment deemed an ‘internship’. I know of quite a few people that were working in 6month internships that had to leave early without the necessary know how their apprenticeship would have given them because they couldnt afford to keep in such low paid emplyoment. Considering the lack of builders, manual workers etc. i think this is an important factor that needs changing.
On this theme, you should check out the film Slave Labour about a young indebted student who was exploited by the Labour
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997496/combined
Here’s a little thought which occured to me today.
If the original purpose of a lower minimum wage for 16-18 year olds was, as suggested, to encourage people in that age group to stay on at school, why not increase it for those that do make the choice to stay on into HE.
Now i may be pressing my own interest here, but recently out of curiousity i worked out my fees on a per contact hour basis – it came out at £8.52. Regardless of whether this is value for money or not (though i’m inclined to say, in my case, yes) it’s interesting to note that this is near twice the minimum wage for our age group.
I intend to work over the summer, as i’m sure most students do, to save a little for next year and hopefully reduce my final debt burden. If the government seriously wants to encourage more young adults into HE, the least it can do is give us the incentive, through being paid as much as our ‘adult’ collegues, to support ourselves while we’re here.
the differentials i believe were initially intended as a compromise to business who felt this would impede on their growth. many companies complain that young people only stay on for a couple of years and so they wanted to reward their longer term employees more.
i think over the last 10 years, the success of the minimum wage proves this argument to be false.
now, what ideas do people have to get this campaign off the ground?
Essentially the argument is the COST OF LIVING for anyone 18-21 years old is the same for those over 22.
Food costs are the same, you don’t get lower rents etc, so why is it you should be paid less?
The other argument is work has to pay – and on a wage rate that could leave them earning a pittance (and this is below the rate at which you begin paying tax) what incentive is there to get a job?
Equalising the minimum wage for those 18+ along with a substantial increase in the 16-17 age group would make a real difference to the lowest earners in our society.
Hmm, something I agree with…
I agree that the rate needs to be changed, certainly for the 18-22 bracket. As a youngster in my academic year (Aug birthday), I find that I will have to go over a year from when I graduate before I can earn a more appropriate minimum wage (assuming I work in a minimum wage job!). I find this, quite frankly, disgusting. It really annoys me that someone in the same academic year but with, for example, a September birthday, can be earning almost a pound an hour more than me (which is an extra £8ish a day, or £40 a week).
When, therefore, one goes out into the ‘real’ world, the one where taxes are suddenly a huge concern, along with rent, bills, living costs etc, this £40 less a week becomes quite significant. Such a discrepancy I find to be completely unjustifable, and a huge concern. It does need to be changed sooner rather than later…
yes, i agree – 16-17 year olds are basically working for slave labour, the current minimum wage is 3.53 i think or somewhere around tht, there are some ppl who are 17 and have had to move into a house or flat etc, how can a 17 year old live and pay his way threw life on 3.53 an hour, PLUS TAX!, and yes why shud some1 who is over 22 get a pound extra, its nonsense just because there under 22 doesnt mean tht ppl have families to run, billz to pay, its barmy, it neesd sorting out in my opinion
and another view from me is that, soon as you are 18, you are classed as an adult, no more benefits for parents, your basically by yourself soon as you hit 18, and most mums and dads want there children out the house by then, how can they live on such bad wages?
great points james, well made.
I agree, although i get paid the 22 yr old minimum wage and i am only 18, my girlfriend only receives 4.74 an hour and works much longer and harder hours than me, and yet we end up with about the same pay, there is nothing in her job that she cant do as she is 18, so there seems little to no point in less pay.
Campaign away BUL!!! Get that minimum wage sorted.
to encourage people to go on to HE, what about the people who really dont want to go back to school? do they have to be hauled down into this minimum wage because they wud rather work than go back to school, relli, u either want to learn more, or u want to start work str8 away, so perosnally i think it needs to be changed
there basically trying to say U MUST GO COLLEGE ? right?