The minimum wage for work
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31053)
United Kingdom
January 10, 2013 1:53pm CST
In my home country the minimum wage for a person over 21 years old is six pounds and nineteen pence an hour. I watched a program about Brits that had moved to a different country. One couple moved to America. The wife went for an interview for a job as a waitress. The hourly rate was just two dollars and seventy eight cents. She would have to earn many tips to survive.
That program also had people that had moved to France. The lady couldn't get a job since there are over 3 million unemployed French people and she doesn't speak French well enough. The couple that had bought a villa in Spain wanted to sell it and move back home to the UK. They bought it for three million euros and have it up for sale for four hundred thousand euros.
What do you think of two dollars and seventy eight cents an hour for the job as a waitress?
Why are some jobs so lowly paid?
How about in your home country?
2 people like this
12 responses
@skyandgrassplot (1497)
• China
11 Jan 13
Wow,it sounds unbelievable to me,as for my city in a developing country,the minimum wage is 200USD per month,so I think two dollars and seventy eight cents an hour in USA is so low,but as you say there are tips in USA which do not exist in my country,so I wonder how many tips your friend can get per month in average?Because we all know that the cost of life in USA is so high.
By the way,you said you another friends sold their villa in four hundred thousand euros but their purchased price was 3 million?Oh my god,they lost so many money and in my mind I think it is very pity because usually the price of house always raise in my city.
1 person likes this
@sweety_81 (2124)
• India
11 Jan 13
At times, in days of saturation and over-supply, I have heard of real estate properties being sold underpriced. Yet, this must have been a pretty difficult time for the house owners. And they would have had to do much more to overcome such a loss.
@veganbliss (3895)
• Adelaide, Australia
10 Jan 13
Down here, we're just rolling in cash!
$15.96 an hour was the minimum wage as of July this year. Unemployment is relatively low & the weather is beautiful... so what are you all waiting for? Our top finance bloke went on the telly recently to announce he had solved the problem of the Global Financial Crisis... move to Australia!
$15.96 an hour was the minimum wage as of July this year. Unemployment is relatively low & the weather is beautiful... so what are you all waiting for? Our top finance bloke went on the telly recently to announce he had solved the problem of the Global Financial Crisis... move to Australia!1 person likes this
@urbandekay (18278)
•
10 Jan 13
Paying 2.78 US dollars (about £1.72) is sick and unGodly, is not the worker worthy of his pay? To pay thus is a symptom of a greedy and uncompassionate society
all the best, urban
@urbandekay (18278)
•
10 Jan 13
Ah forgive me, I should have read her post but thought I was the first respondent
all the best, urban
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
10 Jan 13
Dawn gives the website details saying the minimum wage in different states. Maybe the bar owner was paying his staff much less than the minimum wage. I feel glad the lady didn't get that job. I feel sorry for the candidate that got that lowly paid job.
I am sure the cost of living would be quite high in Florida. The lady got sent back to the UK and she now lives two hundred miles from her husband.
All the best. 
@renkinjutsushi (716)
• United States
11 Jan 13
The assumption is that generally the amount the employees earn from tips will be enough to equal or exceed the federal minimum wage when added to the hourly wage, or the employer will be required to make up the difference.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Jan 13
in 1979 when I went to work after college the minimum wage was higher than that, I think you have been misinformed.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
10 Jan 13
Seven dollars and seventy nine cents an hour in Florida is the minimum wage according to that website. Thanks for giving me that website details. Are bars allowed to employ people with a lower amount of money than the minimum wage? I know the bar maids can get tips.
It seems the minimum wage in each state in America is different.
Thanks.
Thanks. 1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Jan 13
Each state is different, but if the state minimum is lower than the federal, or if the state doesn't have one, the federal minimum wage applies. And no, bars are not allowed to do that.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
11 Jan 13
Oh well, Illinois. lol
Seriously, I bet that one differs by state.
@marguicha (215481)
• Chile
10 Jan 13
I read the answers to your post, Maxine, as I know well it much depends on the country. But it also depends on the amount of money you need to live. In some countriesyou will live well with a money that in other countries would not sufice to pay for a decent shelter. In my country the minimum wage is about US $3, but, as you say, waitresses that earn that also get tips. It would be awful, except that the cost of living here is much cheaper than in Europe or the US. As you know, here we can use public tranportation to go almost anywhere.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
10 Jan 13
Thanks for your lovely response my dear friend. I really liked the metro train in Santiago De Chile and it was economical to travel on. It is interesting to find out the minimum wage is around 3 dollars an hour. It must be a wonderful country to live in. I know I enjoyed visiting it a lot.
I don't think waitresses have a very easy time working earning little money and being heavily reliant on tips. I believe a cleaner in India would have a hard time living on a low wage. She would have lower prices than the waitresses in America.
@marguicha (215481)
• Chile
10 Jan 13
I have seen people in the US live a lot worse than many people here, in spite of our lower wages. In my country we have free health for those who cannot pay for private health, there are enough public schools (not as good as private ones) and some houses are very inexpensive. Our climate helps too as it{s not so harsh as in other countries.
@vandana7 (98834)
• India
10 Jan 13
You wont believe it...it is less than..1 dollar per hour..in our state but it depends upon the kind of labor. For example, according to the laws of the State, maid needs to be paid at the rate of Rs,4500 per month (55 rupees = 1 dollar) with only one holiday. That is very low. People cant afford to pay even that much so maids work in two to three homes.
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
10 Jan 13
I know how cleaning and tidying is hard work physically. I think a maid has a very low pay indeed. Working in 2 to 3 homes must be very hard. Having one holiday a year I imagine the lady has a rest at her own home.
In Ireland few people with degrees and higher qualifications can get a job in their own profession. They have to go to live in a different country to work in their subject that they have studied.
Thanks.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
12 Jan 13
And still in our country people will moan about the poor wages! It doesn't encourage people to look for a job when the wage is so low, after all you have to live, you have bills to pay, food, and with inflation costs, petrol going up. I didn't realize wages was so low in comparison in other countries. Two dollars and 78 cents is appalling!
@SViswan (12051)
• India
13 Jan 13
In my country, there is a wide difference in rate of the hourly wage depending on the job. But government jobs, the employees get benefits as well as a good pay for not doing anything. While in a private sector, they do a lot more work and get paid less....unless it is an MNC where they get paid higher and also get other benefits. A lot depends who they are working for.
@AmbiePam (85538)
• United States
10 Jan 13
They do that because the tips make up what you don't get for minimum wage. They really do. You won't be rich, but no waitress is going to be rich. It's a low level job, unfortunately. It's a lot of work, but it's one of those many jobs most people can do with no education required.
@sweety_81 (2124)
• India
11 Jan 13
Well, due to Purchasing Power Parity difference, the daily rate in India for minimum wages is nearly 2
dollars. Seems less, but in many places, in unorganized sector, people are paid even lesser.
Not always do authorities act upon unscrupulous businessmen and traders, who employ people on low wages, taking advantage of their economic condition.
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
11 Jan 13
The minimum wage at my State, as state law governed it, it is now around $7.00 per hour if you work at the McDonald, or if you work as wait person in some restaurant, they might pay you pretty low, but only if you can earn good tips on the daily basis to make it up. I don't know about Europe, but it wasn't all that better in the U.S.A either. I just hope everyone has work to keep it up. During the fiscal cliff, everything is tough.
