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Thread ID: 114816	2010-12-18 18:43:00	WINZ and $15 an Hour	pctek (84)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1163053	2010-12-18 18:43:00	Casual labourers are quitting $15-an-hour jobs claiming they can make almost the same on the dole. Alpha Recruitment managing director Colin Mathieson said three staff had walked out in recent weeks, saying they would receive just $20 less each week on benefits. Tradestaff owner Kevin Eder said travel costs involved with getting to and from work could also be factored in. Work and Income calculations didn't support the fathers' claims. The agency said a three-child family living in Mangere with two parents on benefits would receive $750 a week. If one of the parents worked 30 hours in a casual $15-an-hour job, they would receive $826, and $923 for working 40 hours. Er...$15 x 40 = $600. before tax.	pctek (84)
1163054	2010-12-18 19:19:00	I think what they mean is the total income they receive after the getting the working for families tax credit would be what they quoted.	Safari (3993)
1163055	2010-12-18 20:05:00	I think the maths involved is a bit more complex than it looks given the other benefit factored in like Accomodation sup and IRD child payments . I can quite believe it though our own situation has been one of one week we are better off being on the dole than working given we pay out $26 per day on fuel with no alternatives . Every time the price fuel goes up another 7c we got to find another dollar per day . Neither of us work fixed hours neither of us is on a low hourly rate! One of the reasons my wife changed jobs was the cost of travel to work! One of our seasonal employers struggled to get local staff this year because firstly they now pay minimum pay rate, secondly they removed the Travel Allowance they paid workers who lived beyond the bus pick up area . Your not going to drive 90kms per day for minimum wage when on bad week your only going to be paid for 15 hours work are you? Cost of travel to work is not factored in by winz when you suddenly realise that the income thats more than the dole is actual less once the cost of getting to work is deducted .	coldfront (15814)
1163056	2010-12-18 22:51:00	Also one has to factor in PAYE - its cash in hand	KenESmith (6287)
1163057	2010-12-18 23:04:00	Jesus what sons of you know what....lazy, incompetent morons. My god, they don't deserve to live on this planet if they'd rather have the taxpayers feed their parasitic mouths than working themselves. They really should be denied benefit if this is how they're going to do things.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
1163058	2010-12-18 23:08:00	My nephew worked for one of those labour agencies, and sometimes there was no guarantee of work on the day, but still had to arrive at 6.00 am sometimes.	kahawai chaser (3545)
1163059	2010-12-18 23:18:00	I don't disagree with there being a benefit but even when I've been unemployed for fairly good periods of time I've never used it. That's what saving is for... supportive partners and parents definitely help ease the pain though. If I were out of work for a properly long period of time I'd have little choice but to go on the dole, but it's something I'd resist until I absolutely needed it. Apart from the economic factor discussed above, does nobody consider the moral one? If you have the option of work, you should take it. Money shouldn't come into it. $15/hr should be enough if you're clever with how you spend it. If you've had three or more children and you're both struggling to get by on low wages then I'd suggest you should have thought a bit about economics before having them.	Thebananamonkey (7741)
1163060	2010-12-18 23:19:00	ACC levies too. Then there's the childcare expenses if you go to work. Or parking expenses. Something is wrong when welfare pays as well as working.	Paul.Cov (425)
1163061	2010-12-18 23:36:00	If you can't live on what you earn then you need to seriously look at your budgeting skills and maybe not have kids. I don't know many families with zero debt unlike us we owe nobody anything, we operate on the old type of schedule if you can't afford it wait until you can. We saved like crazy to pay off the mortgage even down to me biking everywhere and even now the car only leaves the garage if there are more than 2 things to do that need the car. You could call us tight we prefer frugal	gary67 (56)
1163062	2010-12-18 23:39:00	Apart from the economic factor discussed above, does nobody consider the moral one? If you have the option of work, you should take it . Money shouldn't come into it . Morals does not pay the bills or the money grabbing from everyone else!!! Reading the article again I noted the words right at the start "Casual labourers" meaning NO guarentee of work of fixed hours each week . Then it says "The three, fathers from south Auckland, said they would receive family tax credits and accommodation supplements on top of their benefits . " This bit though "they would receive just $20 less each week on benefits . " So if the travel expenses they pay each week is more than $20 I can see their point as well . Then I noted the claims made not by winz but by the Agency thats lost the staff! they (the 3 that quit) obviously did the maths . I wonder if the agency could not of considered a travel allowance for the staff on its book or increasing the hourly rate? Naa thats to easy! Best to run to the media and shout bludge to the world!	coldfront (15814)
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