#minimumwage

But it’s legal to rip-off a million or two That comes from the labour that other folk do; To plunder the many on behalf of the few Is a thing that is perfectly legal.

• Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger (1977) *

(Bosses are always keen to “reduce the cost of labour.” )

https://theconversation.com/australian-companies-to-face-fines-and-criminal-action-if-they-fail-to-prevent-modern-slavery-287667

• Audio of Legal/illegal song https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbjZDtR2e0&pp=0gcJCWQCo7VqN5tD

#Capitalism #exploitation #minimumwage #slavery #workingpoor

The New Republic | How Trump Plans to Crush Fast-Food Workers by Timothy Noah AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information. Tim Noah argues that President Trump’s latest Labor Department proposal to narrow the joint‑employer definition will let fast‑food franchisors escape responsibility for the wages and conditions of the workers who actually flip burgers, deepening a long‑standing “fissured workplace” in which corporations off‑load low‑wage labor to independent franchisees and contractors to avoid legal obligations. The rule overturns Obama‑era guidance that treated a company as a joint employer when workers were economically dependent on it, reverting instead to a narrow view that only direct hiring relationships count—a change that courts have already rejected as contrary to the Fair Labor Standards Act. By redefining “employer” to exclude indirect control, the regulation could affect roughly 15 million workers in franchised establishments, stripping them of roughly $1 billion in annual wages and overtime protections. Noah traces this dynamic to decades of franchising strategy, antitrust rulings, and the rise of the “share‑cropping” model that leaves most franchisees—often single‑restaurant owners—with razor‑thin margins and incentivizes the exploitation of their employees, while the parent brands reap profits and avoid liability. The proposed Trump rule therefore threatens to exacerbate economic inequality by further impoverishing fast‑food workers who already rely on welfare and low‑pay jobs. Read more: https://newrepublic.com/article/212452/trump-joint-employer-rule-franchises #McDonalds #LaborDepartment #Trumpadministration #fastfood #minimumwage #TimNoah #DavidWeil

The Green Party of England & Wales' Workers Charter 2026 includes a rise in minimum wage to £15; Business concerns that the original introduction of a MW would see mass lay-offs failed to materialise, but analysis of UK's MW often suggests this is partly as it is quite low; so the Q. is would raising it finally prompt MW-related unemployment, or would it raise pressure to increase productivity & skill enhancement? It would be an interesting economic experiment! #workers #MinimumWage h/t FT

What’s outrageous ? Stolen Wages ! (Bosses are always keen to “reduce the cost of labour”) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-31/migrant-worker-scheme-uncovers-stolen-wages-modern-slavery/106512360 #Capitalism #exploitation #migrantworkers #Minimumwage #Stolenwages #WorkingPoor

53+ years of #wagetheft Unfair “Junior pay rates" applied to people below the age of 21, meaning 18-year-olds were paid 70 per cent of the award rate, 80 per cent for 19-year-olds and 90 per cent for 20-year-olds. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-31/fair-work-comission-junior-pay-rates-retail-fast-food/106514948 (Notes: 1973, Australia’s voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 by the Labor Government. 1 July 2025, National Minimum Wage $24.95 per hour or $948 per week.) Context: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/minimum-wages/junior-pay-rates #Capitalism #juniorpay #minimumwage #wages #workingpoor

Fair Work Commission finally - 53 years late - abolished junior rates of pay in retail, fast food and pharmacies industries. Josh Cullinan from the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union #RAFFWU, on calling for the scrapping of the junior rate of pay, how the system continues to be rigged against young workers. https://www.3cr.org.au/sticktogether/episode/junior-rates Junior Wage (small) Change https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/workplace-laws/award-changes/major-award-changes/junior-wage-changes-to-retail-fast-food-and-pharmacy-awards #LivingWage https://raffwu.org.au/campaigns/industry/living-wages/ #3CR #CommunityRadio. #JuniorPay #minimumwage #workingpoor