Surely the most important contribution to the nation as a whole is a basic minimum standard of living. The minimum wage represents this and has enforced this above and beyond all else.
I need to know WILL THE NEW CONSERVATIVE PARTY KEEP THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE throughout their terms in office on the basis that they get elected? Yes or no please
nickythenose, I'm against a minimum wage because I think a salary ought to be a matter between employer and employee, if a workers doesn't like a wage he won't apply for the job. There are employers who would take people on but the minimum wage puts them off. It would be interesting to hear the views of webcameron employers on this one.
With the near infinite capacity to source workers from overseas that Labour has created, if it wasn’t for the minimum wage, actual wages would now be approaching zero. This would also bring down wages and salaries right up the scale. Except, of course, for lawyers which include most MP’s.
From an employers point of view, who used to own a business in Yorkshire. The national minimum wage nearly crippled us. We had to cut back on staff as we couldn't afford to pay them all, myself and my husband had to work even more hours to cover the lack of staff. After collapsing a couple of times though exhaustion and becoming totally miserable though having no social life or holidays, we decided to sell up.
You see in Yorkshire a loaf of bread was below a £1.00, in London it could be £3.00? If you tried to charge £3+ up here for a loaf, you'd be lynched from the nearest tree. The minimum wage just doesn't work everywhere.
"You see in Yorkshire a loaf of bread was below a £1.00, in London it could be £3.00? If you tried to charge £3+ up here for a loaf, you'd be lynched from the nearest tree. The minimum wage just doesn't work everywhere"
£3.00 a loaf in London! where did you get that idea. Most people shop in supermarkets now and prices are similar throughout UK. There is a difference in housing costs but even then some areas of the north are expensive. Most businesses fail because they are outpriced by a big company, some manage to supply a niche market but the minimum wage is not the reason most companies collapse. Low paid workers tend to spend what they have immediately rather than saving and are therefore good for business
I owned a bakery, the old fashioned type, bread with the crap taken out..lol My hubbys old boss got a bakery near London for a while and said he could sell a loaf for over £3.00. This is hand made bread, not supermarket rubbish. Skilled bakeries are getting less and less, we cannot compete with supermarkets. You see, they buy in bulk and get their raw materials really cheap and we were charged full price because we only bought a few bag of things. Some flour firms wouldn't even deliver to us for orders less than £150 a time and that's a lot of flour.
It's about time the government stopped sticking their nose into peoples businesses and let them run it as they see fit. If we advertise a job and the wage is too low, then obviously we'd either get rubbish staff or no staff, but that would be our business, not anyone elses.
You've proved my point you were outpriced by large companies it wasn't the mininimum wage which put you out of business. Employers who want cheap labour will always find it without a minimumum. However if you are having a struggle to make ends meet it's no joke when you loose your job to an immigrant who is always prepared to work for less and live in a squat with dozens of others. The minimum wage is good for business in general as it gives people more to spend
We weren't put out of business, we sold up. We couldn't compete against the supermarket, so we didn't, we had a different sort of customer. Try popping into Asda and ask for a wheat-sheaf for the harvest festival baking and see how far you'd get.
We sold up, because of the stress, mainly because of the staff. The main problem with the minimum wage, is it's never enough! If you pay your staff the minimum wage, they complain and make out they are badly done to. Then you would take on a new staff and then other staff who had been their longer, thought they should have more money. None of them gave a thought for their employers who had to fund this. Before the Minimum wage came in, our staff used to be lovely and I don't know why, but moral dropped? I cannot be bothered attitude came in? It was like, i'm on Minimum wage, why should I bother working hard for you. Some days it was like flogging a dead horse.
I bet many small business people with shops etc, know exactly where I am coming from. I used to enjoy running the business in the beginning and it all changed under Labour.
MoodyBlue - How outrageous - how dare someone try to raise a family and make ends meet on £5.52 per hour. They should be grateful they have a job, right?
Get a life! Go Re-train ...go find a new career - but stop exploiting your workers.
Canvas, I wasn't rude to you and you know nothing about me or my life. Who said I need to retrain for a job?
I have my views and I am quite in my right to air them. I wouldn't dream of saying something personal about you, as I don't know you. I have never exploited my workers, EVER! Maybe you should learn some manners before being sarcastic to a stranger!
