Higher wages for low-paid workers at Leicester City Council

“Good old palmer.He knows how to manage on a living wage.He will have to struggle for the next 2 years on wages and pension payments and allowances of £200thousand.Poor little mite.”

“@bob
I'm apolitical, but any reasonable thinking person can see that the so called "cuts" have so far not extended to the layers of bureaucrats who produce and provide nothing. But the bureaucrats have cut services to protect themselves and to shift blame towards the Tories who everyone knows steal milk from babies in the night. Two political gangs attacking each other at every turn isn't exactly advancing human development. Don't drag me into it.”

“Keeping most people poor keeps the over wealthy rich, which is why it is such a major plank in Con party policy.”

“Bob

The Labour Party flooded the Country with 3 million low skilled and low value immigrants thus suppressing the market rate for jobs.

Supply and demand. Take away the supply and the hourly rate goes up but keeping people poor keeps Labour in power”

“Quote: "Yet new rules state that Jobseekers have to accept jobs that pay the minimum wage of £6.19. Where was the moral outrage and opposition?"

So why aren't you joining in the campaign against this dreadfully unfair Con government which is giving large tax cuts to the over wealthy whilst hammering the unwealthy?

The Con government's policies are designed to force more and more people into lower and lower paid or even part time jobs, whilst their bosses pocket more and more and are being taxed less and less (those that bother to pay tax that is).

The Cons even put up candidates who state publicly that they will send their children to private schools because then they will be handed the most lucrative jobs.”

“Labour deputy city mayor Rory Palmer said paying council staff £7.45 per hour is: "Morally....the right thing to do." It is so easy to be generous with other people's money. Yet new rules state that Jobseekers have to accept jobs that pay the minimum wage of £6.19. Where was the moral outrage and opposition?

Local government pension contributions account for one-quarter of monies received as council tax. New official figures show just 26 per cent of private sector staff saving into workplace pensions pay into a gold-plated final salary scheme - compared to a huge 91 per cent in the public sector. For low-paid private sector employees, any pension scheme or perks enjoyed by the majority of council workers are almost non-existent.

Despite low earnings and rampant poverty in the city, it was also announced this week that Leicester City Council is amongst the top three councils in the whole of the UK who pay staff more than £50,000, with 459 people earning more than this figure. What is the justification?

Cuts to the vulnerable and council tax rises have also been announced recently. Would it be paranoid to suggest that something is seriously amiss here?”

“Part of the problem is that many councillors and politicians have never held a job outside the 'establishment'. Too many overeducated snobs present in the establishment and media toady. Many public servants in admin are also only 'paper qualified'. Working in production or retail with ordinary people for a few years should be a prerequisite for any public post or university placement. Even Iain Duncan Smith recently criticised unemployed graduates who consider themselves 'too good' for menial jobs. Don't know if he's done any himself though.

Possessing an abrupt, non-PC language combined with libel laws, is another reason why working class people are struggling to articulate their experiences across to the mainstream. This is what happens when you live in a class-obsessed, elitist society like the UK.”

“sad to see :( x”

“sad to see :( x”

“prog_rock_fan. The lowest paid council workers are rich compared to me. Where do you draw the line? I do not advocate strengthening the state to break up private concentrations of power, or your Keynesian economic principles. Capitalist power could not survive without the state. An entirely new paradigm needs to be developed. One that rejects the traditionalism and economic elitism of the Right and the oppressive statism of the Left. One that draws upon the most enduring elements of both and goes beyond the obsession with left and right. Maybe I'm just dreaming, but there's nothing wrong with raising awareness.”