Government may cut minimum wage in the north to boost south.
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  Government may cut minimum wage in the north to boost south.
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Author Topic: Government may cut minimum wage in the north to boost south.  (Read 1036 times)
afleitch
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« on: July 26, 2007, 07:21:00 AM »

Research by the ERC has passed findings to the government suggesting regional variations in the minimum wage across the UK. As Chancellor, Brown expressed an openess to such a suggestion stating last year that Britain had to adopt 'more local and regional pay flexibility' The preliminary findings are:

North East England - £4.78
Northern Ireland -£4.80
Wales - £4.84
Yorkshire - £4.95
Scotland - £5.08
London - £6.90

I don't have figures for the midlands and the south as yet.
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Tetro Kornbluth
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« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2007, 07:32:31 AM »

Surely that thread title is the wrong way round.. Or am I missing something entirely?
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The Man From G.O.P.
TJN2024
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« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2007, 08:17:53 AM »

I'm a little confused myself....

Maybe the idea that the North is poor has changed now that Labour has shoveled so much into their home ground?
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afleitch
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« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2007, 09:02:55 AM »
« Edited: July 26, 2007, 09:05:51 AM by afleitch »

Surely that thread title is the wrong way round.. Or am I missing something entirely?

Instead of an average national minumum wage, the minimum wage will vary according to region, withn the south of the country benefiting from a higher minimum wage. At present the minimum wage is £5.35. All regions above (except London) will therefore see the minimum wage fall. London's minimum wage will rise by £1.55. The North East will fall by £0.57
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Cuivienen
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« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2007, 11:29:30 AM »

Great, Labour hands another rallying cry to the BNP.
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afleitch
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« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2007, 11:46:35 AM »

Great, Labour hands another rallying cry to the BNP.

Under usual circumstances I don't see it being viewed favourably by the back benches if proposed. But I wouldn't be so sure now.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2007, 11:50:13 AM »

Oh, the "London Weighting" idea again. Not really a bad idea as the reality is that wages are so inflated in the South, especially in London, that the minimum wage their needs to be quite a bit higher than elsewhere. Otherwise we'll reach a point at which the economy of the North ends up suffering for the benefit of London (again...) or a situation in which the poor of London end up suffering in order to help the economy of the North.

I would be against any actual cuts in the minimum wage anywhere, but only out of principle.

Too early to tell whether this, or a different version of the idea, will actually happen though. Ideas like this have a habit of suddenly turning up, sometimes generating a little bit of debate, before vanishing again.
And reappearing a few years down the line. And so on and so forth.
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afleitch
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« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2007, 11:59:41 AM »

Ideas like this have a habit of suddenly turning up, sometimes generating a little bit of debate, before vanishing again.

After ten years of Labour government pretty much doing that on a daily basis we should be used to it by now Smiley

I don't necessarily have a problem with weighing figures; however I think in some regions it will be damaging, particularly in areas of the country where commuting relatively short distances can transport you into a different county or region, this could affect the job market and damage communities, (I would imagine if a job in Bristol paid you £1 an hour more than a job in Newport, I'd cross the Severn) though providing a 'poisoned chalice' incentive for McJobs in the north.
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Democratic Hawk
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« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2007, 10:19:00 PM »

Oh, the "London Weighting" idea again. Not really a bad idea as the reality is that wages are so inflated in the South, especially in London, that the minimum wage their needs to be quite a bit higher than elsewhere. Otherwise we'll reach a point at which the economy of the North ends up suffering for the benefit of London (again...) or a situation in which the poor of London end up suffering in order to help the economy of the North.

I would be against any actual cuts in the minimum wage anywhere, but only out of principle.

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Cuivienen
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« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2007, 10:47:29 PM »

Great, Labour hands another rallying cry to the BNP.

Under usual circumstances I don't see it being viewed favourably by the back benches if proposed. But I wouldn't be so sure now.

But surely that hardly matters; Brown can muster up enough party-line Labour support to pass it with the help of the Tories, as happened with education reform.

I'm not saying that I necessarily oppose the law though it might be a better idea to keep the minimum wage the same in the North while raising it to varying degrees elsewhere.
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