Skills and wages
Why doesn’t the government increase wages for ordinary workers? For this government this should be a logical policy, these are the people who told the electorate that immigrants were taking their jobs and forcing down wages. What better way to show it was right, now immigration is falling, than to increase the minimum wage, make it payable to all and end the rigged gig economy?
Unfortunately the children of Thatcherism are not that kind of people. Just look at British Gas; it is in the middle of firing its engineers and re-hiring them on worse terms and conditions, I have not heard anything from the government on this and the reason is simple. They don’t care, in fact they think it is good for business. It is the logical conclusion of those Thatcherite reforms, make striking very difficult, destroy trade unions, gradually remove employment rights and then watch as big business squeeze their workers until the pips squeak. It should mean cheaper services and bigger profits, in theory. What it really means is lower productivity and wages. Also it costs me more to insure my boiler with British Gas, than the rest of the house combined. Anyone like to explain that one?
Meanwhile British Gas will make becoming a highly trained gas engineer less rewarding and attractive.
Immigrants didn’t force down wages, managers did because they could and rewarded themselves very generously as a result.
https://jonty.substack.com/