Council announces £7 minimum wage

[flipx]

Council announces £7 minimum wage

Workers at Scotland's biggest local authority, Glasgow City Council, will be paid a new minimum wage of £7 an hour, in a drive to tackle low pay.

Council leader Steven Purcell said the move would boost the wage packets of the lowest paid staff by more than £1,100 a year.
He issued a challenge to other employers to do the same.
The £7 Glasgow rate will come into force on 1 April - ten years since the national minimum wage was introduced.
In a speech to the Scottish Labour conference in Dundee, Mr Purcell said it was vital for Labour to address low-paid work, which he said was not enough to lift the "plight of poverty".
"There are up to 80,000 workers in Glasgow earning less than £7 an hour and this has the potential to improve the lives of thousands of families across our city," he said of the council initiative.
'Women to benefit'
Mr Purcell said Glasgow City Council contractors would be strongly encouraged to implement the rate.
He went on: "Low pay discriminates against women more than men and I'm pleased to confirm that the vast majority of staff who will benefit from this new rate of £7 an hour are, in fact, women."
The minimum wage for employees over 21 increased by 3.8% in October to £5.73 per hour.
It is £4.77 for workers aged between 18-21 and £3.53 for staff aged 16-17.
Mr Purcell told the conference: "We in the Labour Party are rightly proud of the introduction of the national minimum wage, in the face of fierce opposition from the Tories."

For Americans, that would be a minimum wage of $9.89.

 

[Peter Parka]

Good stuff! :clap

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

almost twice what ours is...$5.15

 

[Peter Parka]

almost twice what ours is...$5.15

That is shit!:eek I guess your cost of living is cheaper than ours though, welcome to rip off Britain. :thumbdown

 

[HottyToddyChick]

I think ours went up Clare. It's supposed to be doing this gradual increase thing. I don't know.

That's a lot though! But it definitely has to do with cost of living. I'm paying $1.88 a gallon for gas right, so getting like $6 an hour will fill me up in three-four hours work time.

Y'all are paying like $5 a gallon, right?

 

[Alien Allen]

US minimum wage is $6.65 an hour

Which is about right for entry level jobs requiring no experience. It does not take long to move beyond that if one has any motivation.

 

[flipx]

I think ours went up Clare. It's supposed to be doing this gradual increase thing. I don't know.

That's a lot though! But it definitely has to do with cost of living. I'm paying $1.88 a gallon for gas right, so getting like $6 an hour will fill me up in three-four hours work time.

Y'all are paying like $5 a gallon, right?

Not sure what the cost of living is in comparison with Scotland, and the US.

I'm paying around $3.73 for a gallon, to my calculations.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

US minimum wage is $6.65 an hour

Which is about right for entry level jobs requiring no experience. It does not take long to move beyond that if one has any motivation.

ummm not true. that must be your states' min. wage. my sister makes 5.15

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

the cost of energy in houston is very high. so while our cost of living in general might be lower...we pay $300/mo power bills around here for a small house.

 

[Tim]

ummm not true. that must be your states' min. wage. my sister makes 5.15

Then your sister is being ripped off.

FLSA Minimum Wage: The federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Many states also have minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage.

 

[flipx]

How old is your sister? If she is under 18, or 21, then that may have something to do with the minimum wage. Or is it an apprenticeship she is doing of some sort?

 

[Alien Allen]

age has nothing to do with it.

 

[flipx]

age has nothing to do with it.

Does here.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

hmm i need to ask her. Maybe she got a raise...not that I was aware of though.

 

[Dana]

If not I'd have her look into it... If shes being underpaid that is bullshit.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

waiters around here still make 2.13/hour : /