Testimonials

I struggle everyday on minimum wage i cant afford anything other than the essentials. I earn 6.31 p hour and do 40 hours a week and have nothing to show for it after paying all my bills. Ive never once been able to save a penny up until recently where ive had to leave my flat (MY HOME) and move into a house share. Still though paying 100 pw for a room in a house isn’t exactly cheap its pretty much half my wage but it allows mew to have an extra 20 quid a week compared to when i had a flat and in my world that a massive amount of money.
I`m hoping that the Living Wage Commission can help out all the people, which are in similar position as I am.

James

I work nights at Asda and am able to say that it is the most brutal physical trauma I have ever experienced. Due to having to unload 10- 15 tons of stock in a couple of hours and then putting it away on my own unassisted, for several years, I have bone growths on my hands due to heavy pulling of pallets and overloaded dollies, over 100 laceration scars and numerous persistent RSI injuries. This is typical for night shift work, which involves working at a pace that requires an elevated heart rate of 120-150, for a prolonged period of 12 to 14 hours. Apart from 2 short breaks, it is typical to work at jogging pace for 12 hours or more, moving heavy stock (5- 30kg+) at a
forced rapid pace, more characteristic of a trolley dash than general employment. Sleep is limited and physical pain in the feet, joints and muscles is ever present. Health and safety is very poorly adhered to, with prolific crush, laceration and puncture injuries from stock, damaged equipment and poorly kept buildings. Management’s job is to misdirect colleagues concerns about H+S, managing decline, whilst minimizing variable costs, such as paying for basic safety equipment, for example lights and safety footwear. Uniform is replaced on average every 5 years, my shirts are all torn, but I am told that the uniform budget is under £50 for the entire store per month. I suffer from depression due to fearing the terrible assault on your body that every shift entails. My hands are sprained numerous times each hour, ripping cardboard and lifting heavy pallets. The pain never goes away, because the one day off a week is just not sufficient. I have complained about one piece of equipment and was told that I was exaggerating the risk. Last week a colleague was left blooded and bruised, the latest of a large number of injuries by this equipment, but he did not report it, just like all the other incidents, because he needs the wages. We are told that reporting accidents is bad for the store’s bonus. We are paid very little for the amount of unpaid work we do when we clock out to come back and work. If you want to live, Extra time at the end of your shift is deducted from your clocked in time and the majority of Asda employees are effectively having 2 or 3 hours per week stolen from their wage packet. You’ve got to accept the low wages, and the terrible physical pain and injuries that go with it, what is the alternative. I just hope I can achieve my goals before my body fails. I just want to have a normal standard of living here in the UK.

Kelly

My previous job pay was reduced from £8.10 to £6.40 because the new manager decided they don’t need to be paying people on zero hours that rate, despite me working there nearly 2 years. Overtime pay reduced from £12.15 to £6.40. They even stopped paying our 30 minute dinner break! And then tried to force me to do 12 hours a day!

So they replaced me when I complained about it! As I’m under 25 I get no working tax credits or anything. If I hadn’t saved up from my previous job I’d be on the streets by now. I worked at Royal Mail for Xmas for min wage.

2pm until 10pm, We were given 30 minute dinner break, usually at 4pm. So 5 and a half hours with no break. Not to mention, 1 canteen, 3 microwaves, and about 50 seats for over hundred people! Oh and of course they took the 30 minute break out of our wages. The same wages in which they paid half of us incorrectly each week anyway. Some people there even did occasional 16hour shifts to help pay their bills.
Once I paid my rent and travel I’m almost as worse off as the dole. Living wages need to be compulsory. Especially for major businesses with such turnovers. Just immoral.

Wayne

Surely paying a living wage just makes sense. If people in full time work were paid enough so that they could support themselves without the need to rely on top ups fro the government would substantially ease the pressure on the benefits system to a point where you wouldn’t need to tax those that are in work so heavily to fill this pot.

Both my misses and I are working for nat min wage currently (6.31) (she does 28 hrs pwk I’d do at least 40) +we get these top ups which despite receiving monthly wage slips from us the gov still seem to have managed to have overpaid us +500£ . We have 2 kids to feed clothe etc. by the time we have paid the rent and other utilities, gas water etc and put enough fuel in the car to get to said jobs we barely have enough left over to cover the food bill. There’s no money left over for repairs or to replace the ageing car when it gives up the ghost.

Now I’m aware this is a common problem so I’ll fin by saying I’m all for making the min wage a living on e that enables people to live the lives they work for and be able to save for when life’s unexpected problems hit without going bankrupt everytime.

Eva

I currently work as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities. My contract is 0-48 hrs a week and I get paid £6.08p in Coventry.

I took the job as I was so happy to finally find employment after being unemployed for 3 years. I suffer with Aspergers so am not the ” ideal” candidate for jobs. My sister is writing this for me as I speak as my spelling and grammar isn’t the best.
I now feel my employers gave me the job as they knew I wouldn’t complain about the long unpredictable hours (7am- 10.30pm) lack of training, on site support, poor wage, inappropriate lunch breaks and health and safety issues. my family did not want me to take the job. For the first 4 months I was not paid properly and i am still waiting for this back pay 2 years later. I have been attacked by residents on several occasions and often work through lunch and tea breaks.
I have had to work over 48 hours a week and now 2 years down the line they have cut my hours down to 23 hours a week, I cannot claim any support as I am deemed as employed full time. It is only after pressure from my family that I am looking for new work. I didn’t want to look for a new job before because I was scared that no one else would hire me once they see i have aspergers, I did what I was told at my current job as I was scared that they would fire me and cut my salary down.
I am a good person and I deserve to be treated fairly. I just want to work normal hours and get paid a real wage.

Connor