from Rosina Newton, Lime Tree Stores, Lime Tree Road, Matlock
Sir; Your article on the minimum wage (‘Squeezed to the limits’, January 31, p30) was very interesting, but hardly touched the surface for the very small retailer. My husband and I bought a failing convenience store in 1992, when we were in our early 40s, and by working all hours doubled the turnover in six months.
We then decided we could afford a staff member for just two hours a day so we could have one family meal with our three children. We open from 7.00am to 10.30pm seven days a week and have gradually built up the business so we could employ quite a large number of people, including 14 to 16-year-old shelf-fillers.
The introduction of a minimum wage originally didn’t affect us, because we were already paying that or more to our staff but the subsequent hikes to it have had a horrific effect. We have pared down the staffing to the minimum we can get by with, but they don’t particularly want to do any more work for the extra money they’re being told it is their right to be given.
The result is that my husband is now working almost as long hours as we originally worked and estimates that his “wage” is between £1-£2 per hour worked.
I am no longer working in the shop. I retrained and now teach part-time, earning more than him, but still have all the paperwork to do with the shop - PAYE, payslips, VAT returns - as well as preparation of classes.
We had hoped to ease off a bit by the time we were approaching 60, but it now looks certain that we will just have to work till we drop and it is very nearly all down to the national minimum wage.
Sir; Your article on the minimum wage (‘Squeezed to the limits’, January 31, p30) was very interesting, but hardly touched the surface for the very small retailer. My husband and I bought a failing convenience store in 1992, when we were in our early 40s, and by working all hours doubled the turnover in six months.
We then decided we could afford a staff member for just two hours a day so we could have one family meal with our three children. We open from 7.00am to 10.30pm seven days a week and have gradually built up the business so we could employ quite a large number of people, including 14 to 16-year-old shelf-fillers.
The introduction of a minimum wage originally didn’t affect us, because we were already paying that or more to our staff but the subsequent hikes to it have had a horrific effect. We have pared down the staffing to the minimum we can get by with, but they don’t particularly want to do any more work for the extra money they’re being told it is their right to be given.
The result is that my husband is now working almost as long hours as we originally worked and estimates that his “wage” is between £1-£2 per hour worked.
I am no longer working in the shop. I retrained and now teach part-time, earning more than him, but still have all the paperwork to do with the shop - PAYE, payslips, VAT returns - as well as preparation of classes.
We had hoped to ease off a bit by the time we were approaching 60, but it now looks certain that we will just have to work till we drop and it is very nearly all down to the national minimum wage.
No comments yet