Over worked and under paid

People who "survive" in London and find "jobs" are illegal immigrants living in complete squalor, in a hostel, or sleeping rough, or on someone's couch, or broom cupboard ...

People who "survive" in London and find "jobs" are from those who have large extended families - the traditional British "nuclear" family of 2 parents and 2.4 children is dead, no longer economically viable.

Aristocrats or the families of sheikhs.

Working man,

In my road a perfectly ordinary 2 bedroom ex-council walk up flat (no lift) costs £770 per month to rent privately. Would you believe that this part of London actually has the cheapest rents in town?

I don't know how some one earning £5.80 per hour minimum wage is supposed to pay that and council tax and still have money to live.

Working man, yes this is a very corrupt country, and the ones that are "employed " but don't actually do any work, are raking in all the money to have a good life on the backs of the real workers,

About time that they raised the minimum wage, and reduced benefits, it might just prompt a few more people into work.

Ive been working for around the minimum wage for over 15 years now. And I can tell you without a doubt that my standard of living has fallen so far since the day I left school that im beginning to wonder if there is any point actually trying to work any more. The poor in this country are getting poorer by the day and every job has become so stressful and oppressive for the employees that no one on a low wage has much chance of having a hapy life now. Id love to work my way out of poverty, and ive tried, ive so many NVQs and City and Guilds that I havent got a folder thats big enough to put them all in to, yet I still cannot find an employer who will pay me more than £6 an hour. When I left school I wanted to work, now I would rather spend my time instead trying to start a revolution to rid the country of the polititions that have made life for people in my psition such a misery.

Ha Ha Ha! The minimum wage is here for one thing, for immigrants. If you are a full UK citizen on minimum wage you've been had. You're a sucker.

Actually young Brits will be drifting abroad for cleaning jobs in France and Germany. They will command premium rates there over Poles and Czechs, and Magyars.

Brits you are the new gypsies

I earn between 700 and 800 a month my job involves 24 hr sleep overs the figure I quote is net pay for this money I work as a support worker for adults with learning difficulties one who has challenging behaviour also and one who is incontinent etc I have paperwork galore as well as giving medication cooking meals as the people I support cannot do this for themselves safely I also support them to clean their home as they are unable to do this also in the community to shop for food and to appointments etc I am exhausted mainly mentally by the time I get a day off which is usually never 2 days off together. So I can see where you are coming from I dont have claim any benefits whatsoever. I am sure there are many more people in my position we are exploited although I class myself as a caring person or I would not have considered this work we still have to pay our bills.

I'm a chef and only 17 but still well WELL overworked, I'm on £6 a hour but I have to do around 85 hours a week (that without the time it takes to get there) n yer I live about 3 miles away from my work but when ridding a bike up hill most the way this takes like 20 mins. I'm just not sure if I can do this for another 60 years I really need help really the only days I'm getting off is cos they have to cos I just can't work anymore it makes me feel ill help me

France
As of July 2008, the minimum wage in France is set at €8.71 per hour. In July 2006, the minimum wage in France was set at €8.27 (~US$11.98) per hour. In 2004, 15% of the working population received the minimum wage. The minimum wage in France is updated every year in July by the government. By law, the increase cannot be lower than the inflation for the current year. In the recent years the increase was up to two times higher than the inflation (around 5% raise with an inflation around 2%).

Ireland
The Republic of Ireland's minimum wage was introduced in 2000, and is currently €8.65 an hour.

The problem isn't being low paid, it's the disparity between wages. Cost of living tends to be priced around a reasonably good wage therefore if you're on the lower income bracket you're stuffed. UK is totally out of balance these days.

Here we are again gripes over being underpaid ! How many companies will leave our country to go to the next, if they feel the government here will raise the minimum wage even further !!! However, we need government intervention in raising quality of work standards and workers rights, e.g. more unpaid but available breaks and more unpaid but available holiday leave, more staffing levels where necessary, and better monitoring of fairness and equality in the workplace. A fine example I will place to you is the nurse who may be struck off for working with the BBC and going undercover to highlight the mistreatment of patients in the NHS. She attempted to show the public, elderly campaigners and government health officials how mistreatment of staff, e.g. being over worked and over stretched can contribute to the neglect of patient needs. Auxillary staff and care assistants misuse of equipment is mainly due to having no time to adhere to health and safety reasoning and advice. Working conditions seriously need to be reviewed in this and other working sectors.

Sure we're all over worked and under paid, but it's always been that way so stop your whinging and go out to get a real job!

"Let’s assume you start all this at 8am and get home some time between 5 and 6pm, and you plan to go to bed at a respectable time such as between 10 and 11pm. That only leaves you around 4 to 5 hours each night to eat, wash, enjoy your hobbies and actually live. " The Gripe

I work until 9pm and then get up and do it all again the next day, 5 days out of 7, and because I'm under 22 I get a couple of quid less than others who have exactly the same responsibilities and work to do. Others is my department earn more than me a month for less hours!