Under 25? Under productive
It’s been a long day. You’re a young, single parent working long and hard in a minimum wage job making only £6.70 an hour. Under the new Living Wage that will come into force in April, your coworker, who works equally as hard as you, will be earning more. You’re not bitter. You find solace in the fact that this difference in earnings is perfectly justified. As an under 25 you are simply not as productive as your over 25 counterpart.
Or so reasons cabinet minister Matthew Hancock.
The government has actively decided not to include under 25s in the new changes that have been made to wages and this move is absolutely outrageous. Not only is the current minimum wage exasperatingly low but this new law is a blinding example of age discrimination. It is hugely unfair on those under 25 that deserve to be earning as much as their older colleagues but it could also mean that employers will favour hiring younger workers as a way to cut down on costs. If Hancock reasons that unemployment is higher amongst over 25s, does he really think that this measure will help over 25s find employment?
Most people working in minimum wage jobs are under the age of 25. This means that the new National Living Wage will be severely stunted in its reach, in the scheme of things very few will truly benefit. But the government know this.
The new Living Wage doesn’t mean anything. It is merely a way to mollify people whilst little real change occurs. Britain is home to some of the highest living costs in Europe and little is being done to make sure that hard-working people are earning the money that they need and deserve.
Stop leaving young workers behind and giving them the impression that they are worth less for what they do.
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