The talk about minimum wage has always been a hot potato for everyone living in the UK. It seems that in the wake of all Brexit, people are more worried about the money they earn than ever.
Will the minimum wage change drastically, or will it remain stable? Currently, it sits at £7.50 and has been the same for over 25 years olds, which is, in fact, the highest amount the country has ever seen in the last 15 years. While it is true that this amount is what it is today after a gradual increase from the drop that occurred between 2007 and 2009, it should be noted that it is still among the lowest in Western Europe, as far as minimum wage is concerned.
You may be wondering about this interest at minimum wage and why we are bringing it up. The reason is that not long ago we received an enquiry from a large company in regards to office cleaning. The client required a quote for the cleaning of multiple branches and the head office building of their company in London. This is no small project, by any means. With multiple locations and different sites, it would have taken careful planning and consideration.
However, this time around, we didn’t plan for anything. As a matter of fact, we didn’t proceed with the calculation of the quote, nor provide any reply to the client. Why? Included in their enquiry was a specific requirement of quoting no more than £8.00/hour, or else they will simply not consider the offer.
We understand that companies want to save money and cut down their expenses as much as possible. It is normal for any business to strive for this, especially one that is London-based. Life in the capital is not cheap at all. We know the considerations behind wanting to save on cleaning services, while still getting the job done to a high standard. Cleaning a head office and branches in the capital of UK is a very important job, which we believe that every company out there should look into.
However, we refuse to accept that a large company expects us to provide a service for just £0.50 above the minimum hourly wage and demand an offer falls within this criterion in such a manner. We believe that our cleaners deserve more since they approach every single cleaning project with a professional attitude. Awarding this with a negligible amount is not the way to go.
We didn’t get responses to our client, as we value our work and believe that service to a high standard should be recognised. Therefore, we deemed the request by out potential client of no interest to us.
We wonder if they have found a cleaning agency that would agree to such terms. And then, if the cleaning service provided would match the company’s expectations and desires for a clean office. We highly doubt it.
Dave Barnes
written on 17 January 2018 -Hi Antoaneta Interesting article which high lights the fact that each person should expect a fair days pay for a fair days work – no matter what the trade. This illustrates how low the minimum wage in the UK really is and keeps alive the debate on what that value should be – quality service should expect a higher than average pay for that type of service.
Prasad
written on 12 January 2018 -Bravo! SERVES THEM RIGHT.
I have moved out of London for such reasons and business has been good.
Too much competition and low prices has killed business and ethics.