Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking
Isn't the proposal that the so called living wage becomes the new minimum wage and therefore there would end up being no difference between the two.
How can any wage level cope with the huge range of differences of circumstances. You have at one end the teenage single childless person living at home with their parents, and at the other a couple with half a dozen(or more) kids. No wage level can deal with that wide a range of circumstances.
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I think you are mis understanding the idea of a living wage .A living wage is based on how much a person/family needs to live with a degree of independence free from state subsidies ,being able to afford basic amenities like housing ,heating and food and be able to save some money for retirement,either by means of a pension or simply saving for a rainy day.The minimum wage is no such thing .Most people on minimum wage cannot afford housing and heating and need their wage topped up by state benefits to live on the official poverty line .
The living wage outside london is £7.45p/h ,the minimum wage is £6.19p/h.
This is not about simply changing the name and the amount it is changing the way the figure is arrived at and will always ensure that no matter how much prices go up the living wage will rise to keep track of that unlike the NMW
---------- Post added at 11:50 ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking
How can any wage level cope with the huge range of differences of circumstances. You have at one end the teenage single childless person living at home with their parents, and at the other a couple with half a dozen(or more) kids. No wage level can deal with that wide a range of circumstances.
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Which is why we need the living wage ,the NMW does not allow for the childless teenager to leave home ,the living wage will allow that person to afford rent and survive with little or no state subsidy .It is not designed to have different levels to suit a family with 10 kids ,what it means is that companies will not be allowed to pay below the living wage which they can at the moment