TORY SAYS PEOPLE UNDER 25 ARE TOO LAZY FOR MINIMUM WAGE:
Workers under the age of 25 are not “productive” enough to warrant being paid the new National Living Wage, according to Government Minister Matthew Hancock.
In this summer’s budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced a new minimum wage for over 25s would come into force from next April, starting at £7.20 an hour and increasing to £9 by 2020. But those under 25 will be on the old minimum wage rates, meaning they are entitled to £6.70 an hour, down to £5.30 for 18 to 20 year olds and £3.87 for under 18s.
Trade union Unison said the remarks showed the Government was “out of touch”. A Survation poll for the Huffington Post published last week showed the majority of Britons – 66 per cent – believe the new higher rate should be given to under 25s.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this afternoon, Mr Hancock defended the different rates. He said: “This was an active policy choice. Youth unemployment, whilst falling quite sharply, is still a long way above the unemployment rate for the over 25s.
“Anybody who has employed people knows that younger people, especially in their first jobs, are not as productive, on average. “Now there are some who are very productive under the age of 25 but you have to set policy for the average. It was an active choice not to cover the under 25s.”
A UNION OFFICIAL DISAGREES:
Reacting to the remarks this afternoon, Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Remarks like this show just how out of touch the government is. Young people are every bit as productive as older workers, and can have just the same responsibilities as their more mature workmates.
“A young home care worker, for example, has to do exactly the same stressful job as the older colleagues on their team, and probably isn’t even getting the minimum wage as many aren’t paid for their travel between appointments.
“Younger workers under 25 with families face a double whammy. First they are denied a pay rise and then they get hit hard by the planned cuts to tax credits. “Thanks to the meanness of this government, under 25s with one child doing a 35 hour week on the national minimum wage won’t get the £910 a year pay increase next April, but they will still lose £1,754.20 from the tax credit changes. “Ministers should think again on tax credits, and on their decision to deny young workers the pay rise others are getting.”
Source: today’s Huffington Post UK
East Devon Watch 
1. LIDL have apparently announced that they are going to pay their staff the Living Minimum Wage!!! Brilliant news for supermarket staff – and in large contrast to other large (and highly profitable) supermarkets like Tescos who not only do not pay the Living Wage but try to employ low hours part-time staff on zero hours contracts in order to avoid paying employers NI.
2. According to government sites on Minimum Wage, employers must legally pay for travel between appointments – providing that the employee does not e.g. go home for a break. It is a criminal offence to pay below the minimum wage by e.g.not paying for the travel time – but I don’t see the government prosecuting the firms that do that.
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Most certainly not. There are plenty of kids in their 40’s who are unproductive at work. A tad unfair to generalise all under-25s as lazy. There are plenty of oldies around my age who wouldn’t even dare to lift a finger more than necessary at work. Why is nobody seeing this for the blatant age discrimination it is?
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I agree unfair to generalise all under-25s as being lazy – we employ and have employed several very hard-working and trustworthy youngsters. BUt then again, not all under 25s are hard-working.
The other aspect of this is experience – people with less experience generally need more guidance, supervision and training and can accept less responsibility and so deliver less value. And generally, but not always, younger people have less experience both in the job specifics and in life in general.
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