Over worked and under paid

I work for a very large multi-national American corporation. How many here think that one's primary relationship with one's employer is a business relationship, a relationship in which the wage or salary paid should reflect your worth to the company you work for and the effort you put into that work? How many people here think it would be the duty of your employer to engage at least annually in a serious positive discussion what that worth was? How many people here believe that if you put a serious case to your immediate boss that you want a payrise for whatever reason that that case should be trreated seriously by the boss and given a formal and proper answer?

For three years now I have put a serious case to my immedite boss that I am worth more than they are paying me, far more, and that due to inflation my salary is worth less than what I was paid 10 years ago. Each time my boss has said that he has no authority to negotiate my salary. I ask him does his boss have that authority. He replies "No". And the boss above that? He replies "No". He says I must negotiate with a person 8 to 9 times higher in the hierarchy above him to negotiate my salary. That person does not work in the UK and does not know who I am am or what I am "worth"? In other words there is no one willing to discuss my business relationship.

Should I leave this firm as fast as possible? I have lost over 33% of the real value of my salary since joining this firm.

Gaby, you took the gamble along with many others by going to uni, you got yourself qualified along with other millions of people hoping for a nice office type job with a footballers salary, if you had opted for a manual job you could now be a lot better off, trouble is that no-one wants to get their hands dirty these days, hence the reason this country is going down the pan.

I am absolutely utterly sick of my job in which I am paid £6ph and expected to work weekends and public holidays. I am supposed to get a day off in lieu for working weekends but have to grovel for this and am not allowed to choose the day I want off but instead have to accept the day my manager chooses to give me. On top of all this my manager is an idiot who can't speak or write proper English, is far too religious for me to comfortable around and shakes his leg constantly so that I am coming very close to commiting murder. The worst part of all of this is because of the recession I am supposed to feel grateful for having a job at all, rather than disappointed that 4 years in uni have amounted to this.

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.