Making work pay, what a con

The Tories and the government’s whole idea about making work pay I’ve discovered me a complete lie. The whole idea pushed by Iain Duncan Smith tat no one should be able to gain more being on benefits than in work. Already this is ridiculous as many are in work who claims benefits due to low pay. Much like myself I am a part time office worker doing 16 hours a week at present and claim working tax credits to top up my pitiful pay. This still puts me way below the average wage of a worker in Britain coming in just shy of 10k a year. This week I’ve been notified that my working tax credits are to be lowered or cut if you like by £200 from what I got last year. My pay is a tiny amount above the minimum wage I would not be claiming tax credits if I was earning a decent wage so the idea I’m earning too muc is stupid. The government or HMRC if you like claim I have earnt too much in the last year so I shouldn’t get so much next year. Making work pay therefore is an absolute joke my wages have not gone up or down in the last year and as a result I’ve applied for working tax credits once again so how has HMRC worked out I shouldn’t get the same as last year? Is this down to inflation or government cuts? In which case I am highly dubious that my extra £200 will help the government all that much. But of course this is not about paying of far deficit or anything like that it is a clear attack on the poorest in society. Rhetoricof a general strike is one thinglets see some action and something which can provide hope to many struggling by today. I will no doubt have to cut back on some of the things I spend on in a month cutting back on some of the things I enjoy to make up the short fall. I am also disabled registered blind and do get a extra component to my working tax credits yet this really isn’t much and I am still struggling by every month to live. I do live with my mum at present as no where cheap enough to move out to so I am hoping my cut in benefits wont mean I can no longer pay my mum rent. How this works out that I should be one of the people to pay for the private sector and the bankers mess I do not know but as we know big business’s run off laughing to themselves to the banks evading and avoiding tax to the tune of billions. Fair? I think not. This has really fucked me off if I’m honest and made me realise how little fight back there has been to the cuts. A couple of marches from A to B to listen to Ed Miliband and a 1 day public sector strike are not what I call an effective fight back. Many people are angry and growing angrier by th week. With the bedroom tax no more than a plaything to the mainstream parties who can say how bad it is a actual fightback is still needed desperately. No wonder unions are not looking to fight back most of the leaders are on good money and the cuts are not affecting them as yet. Change is going to have to come from below the unorganised I feel. No political party seems prepared to stand up and fight back so it is left to the down trodden and the disenfranchised to fight back. Unions are one thing but when they are offering no lead to fight back we could do with the money some of their full timers are on but their advice of sitting back and waiting for a labour gov is frankly insulting to many of us who’re struggling. I’ve had enough if you have to join me in the fight to change things. We need a new way of doing things work has never paid for many people and is even less now its time for change in 2013!

Minimum wage up but still far short of a livable wage

Today comes the news of an increase in the national minimum wage. Adult minimum wage increases by 12p to £6.31; fewer than 21s by 5p to £5.03 and under 18s by 4p to £3.72 Whilst I welcome the increase its tiny compared to the cost of living costs for many in the UK. There was much talk of the government cutting or freezing the minimum wage so it is a surprise this increase but let’s not get too excited 12 p for working adults will hardly help cover that expensive rent or help you heat your house and feed your children Its an increase but not something we should cheer too loudly about. A national living wage or a liveable wage I like to call it as labour trumpet a living wage but it would be nowhere near enough. A liveable wage would keep in line with inflation and be linked to average earnings in the country meaning that work always paid. A tiny increase for workers in times of huge hardship for many is an absolute insult. What is labours response I wonder? Will they say this does not go far enough that they’d pledge to bring in a grunted proper living wage or will it be more hot air from the countries second pro capitalist party. No doubt the Tories will play this up and make out we should be grateful and a increase is always something to be pleased of but at this level life will be barely any different than it is now with rising costs of living not looking to come down anytime soon this is just another slap in the face of ordinary working class families. It’s clear we need a party who represents the struggles of working class people standing up for the voiceless. Giving workers hope and standing for a decent level of living for the 99%. Labour has shown itself to be unable to do this so we need a new party of the working class in my view. TUSC could be the start of such a party but at the present time it’s only an electoral vehicle we do need the trade unions to put their money where their mouth is and back the calls for a new party of workers.

Government to raise national minimum wage in latest concession gained by workers

The national minimum wage for adults will increase by 15 pence from October 2011 to £6.08 an hour, the government has said.

The 2.5% increase was recommended by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC).

The rate for apprentices will rise by 10p, for 16-17 year-olds by 4p and for 18-20 year-olds by 6p.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said the changes would help more than 890,000 of Britain's lowest-paid workers.

The LPC was unanimous in its recommendations "despite all the economic uncertainties" according to its chairman, David Norgrove.

The complete set of changes are:

over-20s: up 15p (2.5%) to £6.08
18-20 year-olds: up 6p (1.2%) to £4.98
16-17 year-olds: up 4p (1.1%) to £3.68
apprentices: up 10p to (4%) £2.60.
'Wrong'

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the changes risked pricing young people out of work when youth unemployment was at a record high.

"The change to the National Minimum Wage rates announced today is the wrong increase, at the wrong time," said BCC's David Kern.

"These changes will be a barrier to job creation, and ultimately economic recovery," he said.


No wonder this is what he said anything more employers have to pay their workers is never something the rich and the boss's enjoy having to pay. This latest news is surprising to me as i was hearing rumours of the minimum wage being scrapped but i dont think they couldh ave got away with that the tories. But this just like the reinstating of a quarter of the amount of what the EMA fund was is another concession the working class have forced out of this incrediably weak government.

Although this doesnt go nearly far enough in moving towards a sliding national living wage i'm in favour of which would rise as the cost of living rose in teh country to make sure people are not left behind in the wake of the rise in living costs.

But its a start and it shows we can win back concessions from this government. They can be pushed back with sufficient pressure on them. Where the workers are united we can win things like this small rise.