Hypothetical question – wages lowered without notice?
Discussion
I was reading another thread about the national minimum wage increasing and it got me thinking about when it was introduced. I was 16 at the time and working in the Alldays in the village for a bit of pocket money (about 10 hours a week) while still in 6th form.
As I was under 18 the minimum wage didn’t affect me but what did was Alldays lowering my wages to £2.50 an hour and what really annoyed me at the time was that the “manager” didn’t inform me till a month later when I opened my payslip to see that I was paid less. My Mum went nuts and I didn’t go back.
We didn’t really have access to the internet and our knowledge of employment law was (and still is) pretty limited nor did we want to pay out for a solicitor etc. but I now wonder what we should have done.
Long time ago and not at all important just curious really, if your employer lowers your wages without telling you, what would you do?
As I was under 18 the minimum wage didn’t affect me but what did was Alldays lowering my wages to £2.50 an hour and what really annoyed me at the time was that the “manager” didn’t inform me till a month later when I opened my payslip to see that I was paid less. My Mum went nuts and I didn’t go back.
We didn’t really have access to the internet and our knowledge of employment law was (and still is) pretty limited nor did we want to pay out for a solicitor etc. but I now wonder what we should have done.
Long time ago and not at all important just curious really, if your employer lowers your wages without telling you, what would you do?
Same as today, in practice. Suck it up and moan, or suck it up and find a new job. This sort of situation is why unions are still a reasonably good idea, despite their blatant idiocy at national level, but in a small retail environment, you were hardly going to find strong unionisation, and you probably would have opted out, because at 16, £3 is a night out 
In your case, the adult staff would have been less than inclined to care, because their wages were going up, funded by your paycut, so you could not reasonably have expected to find support from them.
In your case, the adult staff would have been less than inclined to care, because their wages were going up, funded by your paycut, so you could not reasonably have expected to find support from them.Type R Tom said:
As I was under 18 the minimum wage didn’t affect me but what did was Alldays lowering my wages to £2.50 an hour
Don't forget that there is now a minimum wage for under 18s, and has been since 2003 - £3/hr back then.Problem with anything like that is that you'll be employed on a casual basis. Don't like the change in terms and conditions? You don't get any more work...
you got screwed, but you are about 10 years too late to do anything about it
but don't feel too bad, i had a saturday job earning £1.80 an hour working in a sports shop at the time and went up to £2
althought to be fair i wasn't really getting screwed, i'm not even sure why i was there, essentially i fetched the odd shoe
but don't feel too bad, i had a saturday job earning £1.80 an hour working in a sports shop at the time and went up to £2
althought to be fair i wasn't really getting screwed, i'm not even sure why i was there, essentially i fetched the odd shoe
andburg said:
your contract should stipulate your rate and any changes to this need to be agreed by both parties.
I guess as a youth you didn't have a contract.
Just because there wasn't anything written down doesn't mean there wasn't a contract. In fact, most contracts are unwritten.I guess as a youth you didn't have a contract.
OP...without agreement from both parties the rate can not be altered.
Those wages sound about right for someone under 18, even today the wages for the young are a joke due to the governments obsession with apprenticeships.
Loads of companies now declare jobs which used to be NMW as apprenticeships so you get people in their twenties working in retail earning £2.73 per hour doing a job that requires no training and has no career progression.
edit: looked at the rates and they are increasing 20% from next month which is a start but tbh I wouldn't be able to live in London on the living wage yet alone the minimum or as an apprentice, imagine having to work for nearly two hours just to afford a pint!
From 1 October 2015:
the adult rate will increase by 20 pence to £6.70 per hour
the rate for 18 to 20 year olds will increase by 17 pence to £5.30 per hour
the rate for 16 to 17 year olds will increase by 8 pence to £3.87 per hour
the apprentice rate will increase by 57 pence to £3.30 per hour
Loads of companies now declare jobs which used to be NMW as apprenticeships so you get people in their twenties working in retail earning £2.73 per hour doing a job that requires no training and has no career progression.
edit: looked at the rates and they are increasing 20% from next month which is a start but tbh I wouldn't be able to live in London on the living wage yet alone the minimum or as an apprentice, imagine having to work for nearly two hours just to afford a pint!
From 1 October 2015:
the adult rate will increase by 20 pence to £6.70 per hour
the rate for 18 to 20 year olds will increase by 17 pence to £5.30 per hour
the rate for 16 to 17 year olds will increase by 8 pence to £3.87 per hour
the apprentice rate will increase by 57 pence to £3.30 per hour
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