MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands established national minimum wage and legislation: £ 5.05 per hour
Sunday 1st December 2013 marks the introduction of the new National Minimum Wage legislation for the Falkland Islands. From this date, employers are required by law to pay their workers aged 18 years and over a minimum of £5.05 per hour, equivalent to approximately 8.13 dollars (or £3.10 per hour for workers aged 16 or 17 years). Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThis is a some what less than UK mainland:
Nov 19th, 2013 - 01:44 am - Link - Report abuse 02013 (current rate) age 21= £6.31- and over 18 £5.03
see; https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
Falkland Islanders - Is this reflected in local Cost of Living (Food/Rent/Mortgage/Fuel etc.)?
Any comments from Kelpers? Do you think this is fair? Happy/unhappy with this?
Local businesses, what do you think?
How has affected you? (anybody!)
all comments appreciated -except from the usual trolls!
thanks - Ilsen
I thought the Islands suffered a lack of labour, not an excess
Nov 19th, 2013 - 02:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0I would assume that the market has already raised wages accordingly. However, with the impending oil boom, I would assume that more short term labour from the continent will be needed and used.
impending lol
Nov 19th, 2013 - 02:41 am - Link - Report abuse 0@3 you won't be laughing soon Vestige, you probably will want to buy some oil-produced dollars on the black market no doubt!
Nov 19th, 2013 - 03:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0On a more serious note, this could provide valuable employment for UK oil-rig workers and also those from SA that are happy to support their families, only if TMBOA will allow them to actually earn a decent wage and bring in much needed currency/tax dollars?
If oil is found, this could be a boost for both UK and Argentina, if properly handled. The oil-workers would need suuplies and equipment/support-services from the nearest mainland. But will TMBOA or the brainwashed masses see reason? And cash in? And why not? Or remain proud and poor?
*TMBOA copyright acknowledged @ChrisR cheers, ;-)
By comparison the London “living wage” an unofficial bench mark wage paid by many employers is rated at £8.55 per hour, and is supported by the Mayor, Boris Johnson. The average London wage is £653 per week. London is of course jaw-dropingly expensive.
Nov 19th, 2013 - 03:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0I also would like to have some indication from a Falklander regarding the cost of living. I understand that most people own their own home, so rents and mortgages can be discounted. Is this true?
Anyone know the minimum wage in Argentina?
Yes Vestige, impending!
Nov 19th, 2013 - 05:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0Inevitable even.
#5. Would be interesting to know what percentage of the Argentine populaation earns less than £5.05 per hour...............50% plus do you think ?
Nov 19th, 2013 - 09:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0Less than 79 pesos per hour?
Nov 19th, 2013 - 11:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0Definitely 50%!
It has been suggested that a reasonable standard of living on the Falkland islands is £20,000 per annum or £9.61 per hour this means that those living on £5.05 per hour will only receive £10,000 per annum which means that those having to support mortgages and cost of living on this low income will be struggling . The Argument has always been that it costs the same per day to feed the average person so the wage should reflect that alone. Still it is better to have a legal minimum wage as apposed to none at all. As for Argentina how many actually get a wage. Some countries people live on a dollar a day. But again that depends on the cost to provide your daily needs.
Nov 19th, 2013 - 11:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0£5.05 per hour?
Nov 19th, 2013 - 11:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0The national minimum wage in the UK is £6.31 per hour , and that is nowhere near good enough!
A man or a woman needs a “living wage” and £5.05 or even £6.31 per hour, is a long way from it.
They should be setting their sights a lot higher than this.
@7 Can't help you on what percentage of the argie population earns less than £5.05 per hour. But consider this. The average argie monthly salary is considered to be 11,018 ARS. That's £1,101.80. Should we assume a 40-hour week? £1,101.80 works out to about £256.23 per week. That's about £6.41 per hour. But get a look at the overall position.
Nov 19th, 2013 - 03:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?&loctype=1&loc=10
That “average” salary is way up the scale. Take a look at all the jobs that pay less! And just look at the minimum salary. 1,500 ARS a month. £150. That's £34.88 a week. £0.87 per hour.
@10 Depending on how one wants to live one's life, it looks as though living in the Falklands is considerably cheaper than in the UK. Particularly impressed with the price of petrol (£0.75 per litre) compared to at least £1.33 in the UK. Basic utilities look very good.
Here's some details about the cost of living in the Falkland Islands.
http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?&loctype=1&loc=10
Looks like it's cheaper to live in the Falklands than in the UK. As for “setting their sights higher”, I reckon that the Falklanders know best.
£5.05 is probably comparable to the UK as the Islanders don't pay 20% Vat or Council Tax.....
Nov 19th, 2013 - 05:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They pay their MLA's four times the minimum wage and the UK pay their MP's five times the minimum wage but the cost of living must be at least 20% higher in the UK...
TWIMC
Nov 19th, 2013 - 09:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Hereby, a useful “List of Minimum Wages by Country”.....
I have checked the data of four of the Countries I'm most familiar with and all seems to be cricket....
(((Argentina is actually better placed than I expected :-)))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country
@ 11 Conqueror
Nov 19th, 2013 - 11:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“The average argie monthly salary is considered to be 11,018 ARS.”
Where? or for how many?
A licensed engineer with 11 years of experience earns on average AR$ 113,803 per year = 9.476/month. Salario medio: $ 50.47 por hora.
See http://www.elsalario.com.ar/main/Salario/compara-tusalario
In Argentina the average monthly salary is below AR$ 5,000 = app U$S 833 (official) = app U$S 500 (blue).
In reply to 11 Conqueror.
Nov 20th, 2013 - 01:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Thanks for that link.
Here is an extract from the views of a Falkland islander who I spoke to this morning, regarding the £5.01 minimum wage. . . “I am convinced that the rate is not right, but there is work going on to sort that out. It effects more the St Helenian workers at MPA who are getting much less per hour”. he then went on to say “plus any labour that will be brought in to build oil infrastructure”.
I still hold to my view “They should be setting their sights a lot higher than this.” and this particular Falkland islander seems to agree with me.
I used to holiday on the Isle of Jura in the Inner Hebrides, only a short distance from mainland Scotland, I was absolutely amazed by the crazy prices of groceries etc in the island shop. Everything having to come by ferry from the mainland, made items so much more expensive, and I can imagine that this would be the case in Port Stanley shops, but perhaps even more so.
The cost of goods in the shops in Stanley are usually two to three times that of the UK prices. Luxury goods can be priced many times higher and an example is one shop sells a 40” tv for just over £1900 and you can buy the exact same one in Uk and ship it to the Islands for under £400 going direct online.
Nov 20th, 2013 - 03:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Some argue we do not pay VAT but these prices quoted are against similar uk Vat prices.
Fuel is generally cheaper than Uk except for Gas I believe. But the fuel is not high quality especially the diesel . Given that Uk add a VAT to fuel means there is not a lot of difference.
To 16 kelperabout.
Nov 20th, 2013 - 11:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I for one hope that you don't pay any VAT whatsoever, way down there in the Southern Ocean, why should you pay towards the upkeep of the corruption and the farce that is the EU?
Horrific price for that T.V set! I'll bet you are so glad of the internet and online buying.
Argentina has 25% inflation. Unless they revise their minimum wage monthly, then it is a worthless comparison.
Nov 21st, 2013 - 02:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0If I was an Argentina and had a choice between US$4,377 minimum annual wage in Argentina and the US$16,000 minimum annual wage in Falklands...... I know which I would choose.
Especially as the Falkland wage will still have the same buying power in GBP while any wages in ARS will be buying a lot less.
And remember this is a minimum wage, not the average, companies will still be able to pay as much as they wish above £5.05. And if they don't, with low unemployment, the worker can move jobs.
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