Professor Green, living in poverty.

[anonymous-user]

This is one seriously fooooked up country we live in,
https://youtu.be/PopPlAXcWDE

I don't know you fix it but the inequality in this country is getting more and more of a joke.
I don't suppose the goatee bearded directors on here give a flying food if they can screw someone down another penny though.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

Starting pay for a postman - £16,300
Average - £18,200

None too shabby for an unskilled job, really.

Not sure I agree that it's "none too shabby"

300 quid a week doesn't seem a lot to bring up a family.

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

Explain what you think is the minimum requirement to live on.

Everyone needs a bit of hope, as a minimum.

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

desolate said:

Not sure I agree that it's "none too shabby"

300 quid a week doesn't seem a lot to bring up a family.

Why would you expect to be able to bring up a family with one unskilled wage earner?
Would such a family not be entitled to any other benefits?

300 quid a week doesn't seem much for doing anything really.
Don't you agree?

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

As a starting salary for unskilled work, what do you expect?

A quick google suggests the average postman earns 18,200. So on a fag packet that would around 300 quid a week after tax, maybe a touch more, maybe a touch less.

For that I would expect them to be really unhappy in their work, strike at inconvenient times and nick loads of stuff.

Who can blame them?

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

I'd also point out that one person on a minimum wage job shouldn't expect to be able to support a family.

Once again, you also ignore the additional support available to those on minimum wage etc.

If they were 18 then I can see the sense in this argument. However if they are 30, putting a full week's work in and still needing benefits to top up to a minimum standard then fk that.

[anonymous-user]

Smiler. said:

WTF?

Thats the sense of entitlement in action right there.

Surely, not serious?

Yes, serious.

If my employer was taking the piss out of me, I'd be be giving it back, both barrels.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

Sticking with the postman... How much do you want to pay for a stamp, before you'll stop using the post to send things? Or before RM will introduce more automation to reduce the staffing levels further?

I'd like to pay nothing, but let's say I'd pay a quid if I had to.

Anyway - there's someone earning 1.5 million to sort this st out so you should be asking her.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

I don't think that Royal Mail's chief exec's responsibilities extend to making sure every postman's single salary can buy a house and car and look after four kids...

For 1.5 million maybe they should. That's a lot of cheddar.

Do you think 300 quid is OK for a full time job for, say, a 30 year old?

[anonymous-user]

98elise said:

Add to that any or the following they qualify for:

Child Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Working Tax Credit

I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to have a full time job and not require benefits to top them up

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

For an unskilled job? Seems entirely reasonable. Plenty of people survive on less.

Fair enough.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

What I think isn't relevant,

Seems a strange thing to say in such a long post.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

No, that little snippet wasn't a strange thing to say, when viewed in the context of the full answer to your question.

Is the CEO of the Royal Mail's job anything to do with the welfare of her staff?

[anonymous-user]

egor110 said:

Why do you claim posties are on stealing ?

You name any profession and 5 mins on google will reveal the bad apples.

When asked what I thought about 300 quid a week as a wage I suggested that I might go on strike on christmas and nick stuff.


It was a light hearted comment meant to convey the fact that I don't think 300 quid is very much and that I would be an appalling employee for that sort of money in a full time job.

It seems to have stirred up a bit more interest than I thought it would.

We seem to have got sidetracked into Post men and the Royal Mail - which isn't really the point of the thread.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

desolate said:

TooMany2cvs said:

No, that little snippet wasn't a strange thing to say, when viewed in the context of the full answer to your question.

Is the CEO of the Royal Mail's job anything to do with the welfare of her staff?

So long as they're paid a fair amount for the job, then - no. Paternalistic utopian employers went out of fashion about 120 years ago.

I don't agree - it's exactly what enlightened modern employers care about.

As a country I would rather we aspired to be a bit more like Germany or Norway than America.

(I don't mean invading Poland or killing whales)

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

That's why we have a significant welfare state, and where a benefit cap of £20k is somehow seen as a massive travesty...

I agree. If we had better working conditions for many of our workers we wouldn't need the same sort of welfare state.

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

It's madness to think that someone on £18k p.a. is 'on the breadline' expect by choices of their own making.

sidicks said:

See above. If there's a child involved then there's two parents to fund things, not one.

This explains all we need to know.

[anonymous-user]

SystemParanoia said:

Well ive only ever had one legitimate permanent job in my life.
Every other job i have ever had has been via agency

every single one of them with the empty promise of 'temp to perm'

Maybe look to become a postman, mate.
Apparently it's brilliant.

[anonymous-user]

sidicks said:

Strawman nonsense. As ever.

I'll accept no criticism from the man who came up with "It's madness to think that someone on £18k p.a. is 'on the breadline' expect by choices of their own making."

So don't fking bother in future.

[anonymous-user]

TooMany2cvs said:

Fine. Don't lease the brand new car, then. Look! Another £300/mo freed up!

Sure, you can come up with as many things to spend money on as you like - and I can pull 'em apart as much as you like... For a start, that £110/mo in utilities and £35 in internet/mobile is clearly OTT... My elec bill is £43/mo and water £17/mo, and that's for a big detached house - and I'm building credit at that elec DD...

Plus there will be the odd win on the horses or fixed odds betting terminals to bump it up and pay for the kids' school shoes.