$15 minimum wage?

[Katman]

Where would this leave workshop owners?

Who in their right mind would want to take on an apprentice, who will actually be costing you money for a considerable time, and pay them $600 per week?

[huff3r]

i didnt seem to think anything, i just asked why stay if you get minimum wage, your choice i dont really care.

Well again you say "your choice" but as he points out, there really isnt much of a choice.

And those who say you should be trying to move into a better job if your on minimum, and that minimum should not be sustainable...

Thats a load of bollocks, the minimum-wagers are required so you can get your fast food and everything else so cheap that you love. You cant have everybody earning above minimum wage!

Personally I welcome the change, particularly as with the expenses I incurr for work I'm left pocketing $8-9 an hour most the time. And im not in the position to move into a better job, as nowhere else was willing to hire me full-time on a temporary (3 month) basis.

Also many such minimum wage jobs do not provide full-time hours as well, so another hurdle for those stuck there.

[huff3r]

Where would this leave workshop owners?

Who in their right mind would want to take on an apprentice, who will actually be costing you money for a considerable time, and pay them $600 per week?

I was under the impression that apprentices were exempt to a degree from the minimum wage? i.e you pay them less in exchange for their training?

[jaffaonajappa]

@ $15ph.
Ok for a kid straight out of school and dropkicks who secure a real job I guess?

Sad to hear you think this.

But reading the thread - I see quite a few have similar thoughts. And some others have the opposite.

Yet another thread where its black or white, love or hate, yes or no. So a bunch of people with little or no experiences outside their peer groups, jump in and mouth off.

Unemployment is high. Jobs are scarce. In many sectors. Some great workers are struggling to secure more than the minimum wage at the moment.

And yeah - the guys earning minimum wages are not investing this money - well not usually. They are surviving on it. ie, they are spending it here in NZ, on goods and basic services. Therefore the money circulates.....

So, we are aiming for 4% growth?

[Sable]

Whilst I was working for Foodstuffs there were a lot of fuckups and lardarses around. The manager of my department said that I was one of her best employees and she still treated me like shit, paid me $13 an hour and the work was fucking hard.

[Mom]

I scan my own shopping at the Supermarket and I consider myself more efficient at it than those in lanes 1-2-3-4 etc.

Dont be doing that! Hells teeth it is saving the supermarket money in wages, they dont have to employ so many lane 1-2-3-4 workers, and whats more they dont give you a discount for serving yourself

Remind me to come to the stupid market to observe you being a checkout chick

Well funny story, our company sets their own minimum wage, or 'starting' wage, which is $14, and in June I believe its going up to $15, in saying that unless you move up the management food chain you dont get any other pay rises.

Ignoring the industry you work in, that is good common sense employment happening right there.

Who in their right mind would want to take on an apprentice, who will actually be costing you money for a considerable time, and pay them $600 per week?

Be a very expensive apprentice for a business to fund until he/she can actually pay their own way. Never again for this gal.

I was under the impression that apprentices were exempt to a degree from the minimum wage? i.e you pay them less in exchange for their training?

Um, what part of minimum wage are you missing? And no, you pay for their training, by paying their wages while they attend bock courses and dont work for you, depending on hoe generous you are, you can also pay for travel and accomodation etc while they are away.

I have no problem with apprenticeships, infact I think that would be a great way for this country to get moving again. Encourage more kids into trades, with good incentives to employers to support them in the process. Too many kids pushed to a tertiary degree that equates to 5/8 of fuck all at the end of years of study amassing debt each year.

[Mom]

$15 per hour equates to a wage of $31K or thereabouts. Fuck off! All well and good for the minimum wage earner I guess, but I would hate to see the flow on effect of that in the market.

[Blackshear]

I can live relatively comfortable on 13.7 p/h before tax, but by that I mean I have about $100 a week to spend on whatever the fuck I want. Be it part of a new back tyre, front brakes or registration...
And that's with rent at $80 a week.

[DrunkenMistake]

Progressive i am assuming? I used to work for them. Pay was always slightly above minimum. I now work for Foodstuffs and pay is minimum and they really do not like to move from that.

Yup they arnt that bad to work for, im working 40 hours a week for them at the moment, im not too worried about it I could possibly be moving into a long life 2IC position, but that only puts me up to $18, there isnt alot going around at the moment so im happy to keep what I have for the mean time, I could always work at the port for something crazy like $26 an hour starting rate.

[Maha]

Sad to hear you think this.

But reading the thread - I see quite a few have similar thoughts. And some others have the opposite.

Yet another thread where its black or white, love or hate, yes or no. So a bunch of people with little or no experiences outside their peer groups, jump in and mouth off.

Unemployment is high. Jobs are scarce. In many sectors. Some great workers are struggling to secure more than the minimum wage at the moment.

And yeah - the guys earning minimum wages are not investing this money - well not usually. They are surviving on it. ie, they are spending it here in NZ, on goods and basic services. Therefore the money circulates.....

So, we are aiming for 4% growth?

Jobs are not scarce, what is scarce is the nouse to get in and do...some 'job lookers' are just to choosey.
Thats why unemployment is where it is...some just dont want to be employed.

[fuknKIWI]

NZ my favorite third world country...thankfuck we didn't sell our house a couple of years ago...even though I was plannong on starting my own business before thinking about buying a house...it would've been just outsied shaky twon near earthquake central (Darfield)...if I'd hored staff I would've been selective & paid over the minimum for seasonal workers.

[scissorhands]

Its really here nor there. More money will be spent on smokes and pies, saving up for a cheap car or moving to OZ will have to wait slightly longer.

To do some good in godszone, the content on the telly is all that needs to be changed.

Dumb them down some more

[JMemonic]

I am of two minds, there are certainly jobs for which the current minimum wage applies, and I can think of some where that would be over the top, but I am also aware there are employers who are making a huge profit and paying as little as possible.

One that comes to mind is the rest home/retirement industry, some of those carers work long hours in sometimes thankless tasks dealing with dementia patients and all that entails, they are dam good at their jobs, show care and respect to their charges and are paid peanuts while the employers which are sometimes multinationals are raking profits in profits charging both the relatives and government for the care of these folks, in cases I understand they get paid the residents pension plus additional funding from the DHB, if the resident is lucky they see maybe $10-$20 week as spending money, the person who maybe looks after up to 20 residents gets minimum wage and threaten that if they want a pay rise the employer can plead hardship with the government and import foreign workers.

[JMemonic]

I could always work at the port for something crazy like $26 an hour starting rate.

That could be a bad mistake, hell letting you have all that money would be similar to letting a five year old loose in a candy shop and telling them they can eat what they, and as much as they want.

Besides Kemet would have to put up with you more often and that could get nasty

[sil3nt]

Yup they arnt that bad to work for, im working 40 hours a week for them at the moment, im not too worried about it I could possibly be moving into a long life 2IC position, but that only puts me up to $18, there isnt alot going around at the moment so im happy to keep what I have for the mean time, I could always work at the port for something crazy like $26 an hour starting rate.

I was offered a 2IC position. Turned it down and quit. Bit silly but at that stage i had been there 2 years and couldn't stand the place. Few years down the track im still at a supermarket getting paid less

Supermarkets are a good place to work if you don't mind being stuck in one your whole life. They offer good management training and you can end up on decent pay if you stick with it.