HIE wages/low wages
With the average wage in the Western Isles being a paltry £14,250 compared to a Scottish average of £21,500 it is disappointing for HIE to be paying staff a paltry £11,808.
Looking objectively, the bell curve means that some will always earn less than the average.
But that's not the issue.
The average wage in the Western Isles is 2/3 of the Scottish average, and has been for some time. Cost of living is higher - heating, food, building materials - and house prices are lower.
The causes are well know - transport costs being the main one - which all combine to prevent new businesses making a success on the islands, and further depress the average income.
The challenge for HIE has been to reduce that differential, and they have failed. So has Tony Blair. So did Jack McConnell. Can Alex Salmond make a difference, because the effect on individuals concerned would be immense.
The anonymous employee getting £11,808 would be on £17,712 if the Western Isles were at the same level as the rest of Scotland. That might be a bit ambitious, but it's better than accepting our current status of "cheap labour".
Looking objectively, the bell curve means that some will always earn less than the average.
But that's not the issue.
The average wage in the Western Isles is 2/3 of the Scottish average, and has been for some time. Cost of living is higher - heating, food, building materials - and house prices are lower.
The causes are well know - transport costs being the main one - which all combine to prevent new businesses making a success on the islands, and further depress the average income.
The challenge for HIE has been to reduce that differential, and they have failed. So has Tony Blair. So did Jack McConnell. Can Alex Salmond make a difference, because the effect on individuals concerned would be immense.
The anonymous employee getting £11,808 would be on £17,712 if the Western Isles were at the same level as the rest of Scotland. That might be a bit ambitious, but it's better than accepting our current status of "cheap labour".
2 comments:
can i just say EVERYONE should get a copy of that book!
Personally I think that using HIE as an example of staff who should be better paid is a poor example. They are civil servants, paid comparatively well for what they actually achieve ie nothing. The list of who get's what seems to be drawn up in advance and no thought put into whether the money is actually benefiting the people or the Islands. This junior member of staff probably gets paid almost £12k a year to make cups of coffee for his/her boss sitting in his ivory tower.
Also, what sort of other benefits do they get? I bet they all have their obligatory 5 weeks annual holiday, 6 weeks sick pay, all public holidays, pension and flexi time.
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