General Chat

Commenting on the unemployment figures and average wages not rising, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith said "Your salary can't rise if you're not in work"

Does he not grasp that those, that are in work but on a zero hours contract paying only the minimum wage, have little or no chance of their wages rising :-S

His comment is what we have come to expect from someone who receives around £134,565 a year from the state ;-)

The man's an idiot ( the polite version of my thoughts on him ;-) )

According to the official figures wages only rose by 0.6% in the year to June, the slowest rise since records began in 2001 :-(

I was listening to the news and always wish someone would ask the question

"Yes, the unemployment figures are going down ( not in this area mind you) BUT how much is the corresponding bill for working tax credits for all the people who now have a job but not at a living wage?"

What makes my blood boil is the reports
of the masses of people in work
who are having to claim benefits to top up their income.

What sort of shambolic society do we have?

We are all paying for those benefits so that
the shareholders of those firms that pay poverty wages
can still afford their holidays in The Seychelles.

He expects workers to endure further cuts which smacks of inequity & injustice.

If we continue to build a society where only the rich have a real stake in our way of life & where the creation of wealth is the most prized virtue, we establish an underclass who steadily lose hope of living other than at the margins of society.

Looking at various reports over recent months, many commentators point out that a large number of the jobs that we are told this government has crated are:-

1) Self Employment (which could lead to a rise in the black economy i.e cash in hand)
2) Employment on zero hour contracts paying only the minimum wage (leading to under-employment and an increase in the benefits bill due to a rise in the number of claims for housing benefit, council tax help, and tax credits)

I have yet to see actual official figures showing how many of the alleged 1+ million jobs that have been created are actual real jobs paying a proper wage.

Smoke & mirrors come to mind because as ordinary working people - politicians believe they can pull the wool over our eyes ;-)

I've been on a pay freeze for 5 years.
Meanwhile, the 'leader' of Hampshire County Council had something like a £30k increase in his pay last year. He's now on over £230k a year.

The Government are slapping themselves on their backs

Unemloyment is down

How many of those now in 'work' are in zero hours contracts

It is very easy for millionaires to look down on us plebs and tell us how well they are doing on our behalf...

I despair of this lot........ :-P