Friday, September 18, 2009

Minimum Wage

Warning: The following post contains a rant.

Working for minimum wage ($9.50 here) is lousy.

Working for minimum wage means you get paid $76 for a full (eight hour) day. When those eight hours are spent on your feet doing menial work (let's say, oh, straightening books on a bookshelf), $76 seems like a major rip off!

It seems to imply that a day of your life (24 hours) is therefore worth $228.

If someone came up to you and offered you $228 for a day of your life (as in, you would have one less day to live) would you agree?

I wouldn't.

*stops grumbling*

We shipped some books to someone in Jamaica the other day. (Or was it only one book? Can't remember.) Her name was Donna and the shipping cost $75 - an entire day's salary for me. Probably more than an entire day's salary when you take taxes off.

Have you ever considered what kind of a percentage the government gets of your salary between income taxes, sales taxes, parking meters, road test fees...Okay, I'd better not get going on that can of worms. =P

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy my free time! Ta-ta!

6 comments:

  1. HEY!!! I worked for minimum wage over the summer and it's $7.50 here. YOU HEARD ME. 8 hours. And where did I work? Summer camp. I had a mental breakdown every day and had to race after an unruly kid about every 30 minutes. And I had to play tag and stuff with them at the end of each day!

    Anyway, end rant. Free time is good. =D

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  2. lawl! Oh, you poor thing!

    Really, I feel for you. I VOLUNTEERED at a summer camp once. Well, "volunteered". It was at my riding stable and I was getting a package of free lessons out of it, but the value of the lessons did NOT add up to the number of hours. I worked 10 hour days, Monday to Friday and the kiddies were absolutely determined to get bitten/stepped on/trampled when I wasn't looking. XD But it was only for a week, and I actually liked it better than my current job.

    But yes. Free time. I <3 free time.

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  3. Minimum wage for teenagers is terrible here. Its £3.50 (convert to dollars lol) And your counted lucky if your employer gives you an adult minimum wage. So I wont work until I am 18! lol

    I volunteer instead :) And I have a blast volunteering! I dont do it at a camp (children- *shudders) Instead I hold different events in hopes of closing the age gaps between seniors, adults and teens.

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  4. I want to say 3.50 = $7.00-ish? Eek. But your volunteer work sounds like fun! =D

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  5. Hmmm... we get R90 a day for minimum wage (adult) which converts to $12 ... A DAY!!! 8 hours earns you R11.25 which gives you $1.50 an hour for eight hours...

    AND YOU'RE MINIMUM WAGE SUCKS???

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  6. O.o

    Yep. You win. =D

    *vows never to live in South Africa*

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