Minimum wage may go up to £6.20 per hour
Wednesday 28th October 2009, 2:58PM GMT.
Wendy Lambert, chairwoman of the Employment Forum
THE minimum wage could rise by two per cent to £6.20 per hour next spring.
The Employment Forum – a group of employees and employers that advises the Social Security Minister – recommended the increase following a three-month public consultation period during the summer.
The group also recommended that, from 1 April 2011, employers should be banned from using tips left by customers to top up minimum pay. This recommendation mirrors recent changes in the UK.
It further suggested that the trainee minimum wage should increase from £4.56 to £4.65 per hour, and that the States should not introduce a lower minimum wage for people aged between 16 and 18.
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Hooray we are all saved! A whopping 2% rise will easily offset the 10% plus ‘Budget’ we were lumbered with! Well done you.
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Wow £6.20 an hour, I’ll only have to work a 100 hour week to earn an average wage ( £30K a year in Jersey remember )
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We will keep you in poverty !!!
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What I don’t understand is why the minimum wage and Income Support don’t corralate;
A single person living in a basic 1bed flat has to work 53hours a week to not recieve IS.
Either this is not a living wage, or IS is too high or 53hours a week is considered an acceptable amount.
Then, to compound matters the min. wage is set in April and IS 6months later in October, so the taxpayer picks up a higher IS bill for 6months each year.
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This is actually a 3.6% pay increase as inflation is -1.6% Another over inflation cost increase for small companies thanks to the states.
We are pricing jersey out of the market and hence will lose jobs
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Sorry is that a miss print..should it not say £10.20 an hour?…hello!!! this is jersey.
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What kind of people make these sort of crackpot decisions….? the average flat here ,,say a grand a month…..so all well unless the person has the temerity to want to eat…or keep warm….I’d say they were under the influence of drugs unless I knew better..which is they don’t care as greed is the indomitable God on this poison rock.
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“This is actually a 3.6% pay increase as inflation is -1.6% Another over inflation cost increase for small companies thanks to the states.
We are pricing jersey out of the market and hence will lose jobs”
tomh, you are all heart and full of compassion for your fellow man.
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Some people will earn a good salary, others wont. Isn’t this a reflection of what we have done before entering the world of work.
For example a teacher and nurse may earn around £30K a year but have had to work hard at school and then train at college to get to where they are. It would be ridiculous to expect someone with no training and skills to walk into a job and earn the same amount.
Does the wage not reflect the nature of the job, level of responsibility, skills, capabilities etc. etc.
Instead of sitting on his backside and moaning, perhaps Kieth should be asking himself why he is in that job, and what can he do to a) get a better paid job, or b) improve himself to gain a promotion and a payrise.
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Big Bean there is such a thing as a decent wage. Maybe you believe in exploitation of the masses because they haven’t passed enough exams at school?
I find that school has little or nothing to do with what happens later on at work. Passing some basic memory tests at school is no guarentee of getting a highly paid job.
There are people with no training and no skills in highly paid jobs and they have got them by various means. Maybe you know of some at your place of work?
Work is nothing but a tread mill in reality. If you are lucky you get a slightly easier ride thats all.
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Adrian, you are quite correct as it is not always about exams, sometimes it is about hard work and ambition, which is how those people you have mentioned in your post have probably found themselves in good jobs earning a decent wage without passing an exam. I am glad we agree.
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So the States refuse States workers a living wage rise in 2009 but force retailers and all other companies to pay a higher minimum wage which in effect is a pay rise and will have a knock on effect to the cost of goods and services in Jersey?
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@ Mark G #12
“…So the States refuse States workers a living wage rise in 2009…”
*If* the min. wage is supposed to represent a living wage then you can’t argue that a States employee isn’t on a living wage.
There’s an advert in the paper tonight for a States Park Keeper; stroll around keeping ball games in check and a bit of litter picking for 88% more than min. wage. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t want my taxes going to inflated salaries like that, and don’t feel sorry that the Public sectors pay rise matches mine this year.
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@ J Lamborrari #13
Point taken.
The minimum wage is never going to be enough. My point is that while the States on one hand refuse to give its staff a rise (Right or Wrong) they are now to force employers to pay more for their staff. This will then be passed onto the consumer in the way of increased goods and services and increased GST.
Your taxes are going up anyway and have done over the last few years and no one has protested or complained about 20 means 20. So why now complain about a small rise of 3% for the very people who keep the States running.
If you think that the job of ‘States Park Keeper’ is all about getting balls and is an over paid job…..you apply for it then. I am sure that the job has a lot more than just collecting balls and that the States are paying a proper Jersey wage.
With or without a pay rise your taxes are still going up, its just that you are blindsided by this story of the strikes etc….thats what the States members want.
The banks & finance are still giving out pay rises and bonuses even though they caused this mess in the world and a few large banks in Jersey recieved billions of UK tax payers money to save our investments, savings and thier JOBS. Wheres the protests now? where are the protests in Jersey? Oh its not cost me anything as i live in Jersey? Oh i forgot Finance pays over 50% of Jerseys income and is the second largest employer in Jersey.
Pot, Kettle, Black………….
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@ Mark G #14
“…The minimum wage is never going to be enough…”
If you think that(and I don’t see how you really can) how can you really then complain when it’s increased?
“…My point is that while the States on one hand refuse to give its staff a rise (Right or Wrong) they are now to force employers to pay more for their staff…”
I don’t understand how you can argue that it’s in anyway wrong to increase the min. wage(to protect the very lowest paid workers), because the right decision is taken not to increase the wages of those much further up the wage scale. Are you just against the min. wage legislation completely?
“…This will then be passed onto the consumer in the way of increased goods and services and increased GST…”
Yup, that’s how capitalism and free markets work. What would you have as an alternative? A complete freeze on all wages? maybe wages that tracked the RPI regardless?
“…So why now complain about a small rise of 3% for the very people who keep the States running…”
Because I think many of them already enjoy a very good wage/job benefits, and because many of them under-perform.
“…If you think that the job of ‘States Park Keeper’ is all about getting balls and is an over paid job…..you apply for it then…”
I wouldn’t want to be over-paid for a job, I would consider that unjust, especially when paid for by taxes.
“…I am sure that the job has a lot more than just collecting balls and that the States are paying a proper Jersey wage…”
I’ve read the job description, and from that there’s not much to it that IMO puts it 88% above any other job where minimal skills or qualifications would be require, or strenuous activity; so if you’re right and the States are paying a proper wage, why are the States not legislating the min. wage to the same ‘proper’ level?
“…a few large banks in Jersey recieved billions of UK tax payers money to save our investments, savings and thier JOBS…”
Really? can you name even one?
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Mark G, in comment no. 12, wrote:
“So the States refuse States workers a living wage rise in 2009 but force retailers and all other companies to pay a higher minimum wage which in effect is a pay rise and will have a knock on effect to the cost of goods and services in Jersey?”
The operative words here are “minimum” and “wage”. The reasoning behind this are to enable people to earn the bare MINIMUM on which to subsist. Not to live it up, not to have enough to fritter away on booze and gags.
Enough for subsistence.
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@J Lamborrari
As i am trying to point out to you.
This is about the States imposing a pay freeze on States workers but then imposing a rise in the minimum wage on employers. They say cut back and be prudent but then force the local business’s to increase the minimum wage and thier costs.
By the way have you heard of LLoyds, Bank of Scotland, Halifax etc etc and other non UK banks in Jersey have had finacial help from their countrys. When the governments around the world pumped billions into the banks they indirectly helped us in Jersey as well as we would have all lost our savings and investments. Am i wrong?
By the sound of it you work in the finance sector as you did not comment on my other comment about banks and the finance industry pay rises and bonuses.
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@ Mark G #17
“…This is about the States imposing a pay freeze on States workers but then imposing a rise in the minimum wage on employers…”
Are the States not the biggest employer in Jersey? Are they not also covered by the min. wage legislation? Does this not mean that all min. wage States workers will benefit from this imposition? Are you saying that the States should interfere with the salary agreements of employers and employees in the private sector where they’re already above the min. wage?
Seems to me that the playing field between Public and private sectors is level, except of course the Public sector don’t have to turn a profit to secure their jobs.
“…By the way have you heard of LLoyds…”
LLoyds; the insurance broker in London or do you mean Lloyds TSB PLC… or Lloyds TSB Offshore Limited or the chemist? four different companies. Only the 2nd, the UK PLC received UK taxpayer funds.
“…When the governments around the world pumped billions into the banks they indirectly helped us in Jersey as well as we would have all lost our savings and investments. Am i wrong?…”
Wrong? No. Incredibly vague and tenuous? Yes; why on earth does the fact that the UK taxpayer decided to bail out companies in the UK have anything to do with whether a massively(relatively) over paid States park-keeper in Jersey should receive a pay rise?
“…By the sound of it you work in the finance sector as you did not comment on my other comment about banks and the finance industry pay rises and bonuses…”
You hear what you want to hear, doesn’t make you right. Maybe the reason I didn’t comment was because I didn’t see the point of your argument; where were the protests? who did you expect to protest about what?? How a private business or individual chooses to spend their money is of no real concern to me. How the States spend my taxes is. You do understand the difference between Public sector and private sector don’t you?
Now I’ve addressed that from your post I hadn’t maybe you could answer any of the 5 out of 6 questions I posed previously that you avoided; the 6th you tried to answer with your comments regarding Lloyds/Bos etc. of course none of those answers support your original statement I was questioning, so if you feel like having another attempt at that too, you go for it; or maybe you’d like to retract the statement?
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What is £6.20 an hour over here? In reality naff all.
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Still missing the point I am trying to say….
A) Because of the recession the States impose a pay freeze for over 6000 of its staff. Right or wrong this is not my argument. The States then raise the minimum wage. Right or wrong this is not my argument. My point is that while the States try and be prudent in the recession they then force employers to pay more to their staff at a time when a lot of small business’s are at present struggling to stay a float.
On the other subjects you pick out for me…….
1.“LLoyds; the insurance broker in London or do you mean Lloyds TSB PLC… or Lloyds TSB Offshore Limited or the chemist? Four different companies. Only the 2nd, the UK PLC received UK taxpayer funds.”
So I take it you believe that if Lloyds TSB PLC had collapsed then the offshore branch would have survived and your money would still be sitting in St Helier…… how naïve. The UK taxpayer has indirectly supported Jersey.
2. “If you think that (and I don’t see how you really can) how can you really then complain when it’s increased?” – See my comment A)
3. “Are you just against the min. wage legislation completely?” – See my comments A)
4. “What would you have as an alternative? “ – See my comment in number 5.
5. “A complete freeze on all wages? “ – Yes, for now and then reviewed when the recession is over. Why should the local employers suffer and the States freeze pay for over 6000 people?
6. “Maybe wages that tracked the RPI regardless?” – Not my argument!
Now we could debate this for ever and ever so lets agree to disagree………But I am right.
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@ Mark G #20
“…A…”
I’m amazed that you don’t see the need for a minimum wage to be legislated, and that you don’t see that the States are a local employer that must also abide by this legislation.
“…1…”
I do, albeit possible under different ownership; and it would.
“…2…”
Why refer to a comment that doesn’t answer the question?
“…3…”
I take that as a ‘yes’ then.
“…Why should the local employers suffer and the States freeze pay for over 6000 people?…”
You’re saying that it’s better for employees to earn less than a living wage, than for employers to suffer from a fall in profit? And the reason that the States intend to freeze the salaries of 6,000+ (your figure) people is because of a lack of money with which to pay them. You do realise that Public employees salaries are paid for through taxes, that those taxes have taken a hit due to recession, and that if the min. wage was frozen those employees shortfall in necessary income would be made up (where eligible) through Income Support payments, which come from taxes.
You may think you’re answer’s right, but I don’t think you even really understand the question.
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J Lamborrari
Agree to disagree………….
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I love this, give the people more money and the states take it away in taxes! say no more!
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