Minimum Wage - FAIL

I stayed in a Neilson Ski chalet at the end of March, in Le Menuires. There
were two decent lads running the Chalet, mid 20's. They had shit
accomodation for themselves, one had a cupboard and the other a bunk in the
garage. Both worked a good 8 unsociable hours a day, apparently 6.25 days a
week. Si, the resort manager, an experienced bod, reckoned that Neilson
were the best crew to work with.

When I got home a friend asked me about working there and I passed her Si's
number, who in turn arranged for her to talk to "The Management" in the UK.
I spoke to her again today. Now bear in mind minimum wage in France is
EURO8.82/hour and UK GBP5.80/hour

One return flight for the season.
Accomodation (yeah right ok)
Food not included
0.75 days a week off throughout the ski season

and

£350 a month top line.

So working approx 200 hours a week that's some £1.75/hour. Wtf. *WTF*. How
the **** do the cunts get away with shite like that? It's worse than
criminal. I honestly wouldn't have booked had I known that before, I rarely
do "Package". I feel fucking guilty I didn't leave a lot more dosh for them
in the room.

 

I suspect you can add at least double that in tips.

 

I left the Euro I had left. Not a lot. The large party of awkward English
cnuts left nothing judging by comments on the return bus.

Minimum wages are not subsidised by tips as I'm sure you know.

 

On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:23:56 +0100, "'Hog"

snip>

Would you have paid the extra for your holiday if they'd been paying
the staff a substantial amount more?

 

I think I covered my feelings in my post.

 

You said you wouldn't have booked if you'd known but would you have
booked if the holiday had been 50% dearer and they advertised that
they were paying minimum wage?

**** knows what percentage of goods imported into this country come
from places using what amounts to slave labour but we all ignore it
and carry on supporting the manufacturers by buying their goods.

 

These were British lads employed by an (apparently) Brit company.

Price wasn't the deciding factor, I spunked 2 large on a week for two
anyway, so I'd rather see them properly paid.

 

Severe time period nomenclature fail.

I don't suppose they were press-ganged into the fucking job.

 

What parts of EU, UK and LAW don't count.

As Neilson is at the top end gawd knows what happens at t'other end.
I shall be happy going back to arranging my own travel and private
accomodation.

 

Blimey, go away for a bit and Hog has turned all cuddly and
liberal....what next?

 

Supply and demand.

I always ring chalets a week or so before leaving, introduce myself, and
ask if there's anything the denizen staff want brought out. Items like
decent marmalade, Marmite, the latest gurly magazines (for the wimmin)
and FHM (for the guys), Cadbury's chocolate, and toiletries always
figure hghly. Costs me a few quid, makes for happy staff, and ensures
decent service.

 

Actually, many public service employers (generally restaurant type
businesses) do precisely that.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

Dont know about France but the minimum wage doesnt apply to everyone
there are specifc exclusions , apprentices , trainees , self employed
..
Another trick used in the UK is to employ 'foreign' companies
with'foriegn' workers , the UK min wage then doesnt apply if the
worker is paid outside the UK I would assume something similar may
take place .

 

Maybe the 'accomodation' counts in to the 'wage'?
Somehow or other. Flights too?

--

Please sign the libel reform petition - no matter
where you are in the world. Get others to sign too.
Help to change these oppressive laws.
http://www.libelreform.org/sign

http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/476
http://www.libelreform.org/news/449-libel-reform-campaign-welcomes-jack-straws-commitment-to-libel
http://www.libelreform.org/who-is-silenced
http://www.libelreform.org/our-report/key-findings-of-report

If your writing can be read in England or Wales you
can be sued here. If you get sued, *you* have
to defend yourself. You are assumed
to be defamatory unless you can prove otherwise.
Legal costs can be £Ms. Of course if you are in
New York state you are explicitly protected by the
"The Libel Terrorism Protection Act". Some other US
states have similar protection.

 

Yupp, he's not wrong. Of the other mainstream UK ski operators only
Erna Low may be better, although they're not really mainstream in the
same way.

It's absolutely normal, and they get away with it by not being
employed by a French company.

Yeah, it sucks. Most reps make up a lot, not so much on tips[1] as you
or someone else suggested) but on the nights out, organised bar crawls
and other events, on which they get quite a substantial kickback. Oh,
and the group discount on lift passes normally goes into the reps'
pockets too, although I believe some operators don't even allow this.

The problem is that the market has developed using the model of their
summer operations, where it's expected that there are loadsa reps
around to wipe the arses of their clients.

Erna Low, mentioned above, use a different paradigm entirely,
expecting their customers to get themselves to resort and lok after
pretty much everything for themselves, just needing the rep to give
them the keys and poiont them at their accomodation. So they get away
with a much lower rep/punter ratio and can afford to pay a little
more.


[1] The brits are still reluctant to tip, except in well-defined
scenarios like taxi or restaurant bills. Occasionally on the trips I
run someone will suggest taking a collection for the staff[2] or the
mountain guide, but ot's the expection rather than the rule.
[2] Only once[3], on a ski club holiday, did someone take a collection
for us leaders. When presented with an envelope stuffed with several
hundred francs I was frankly stunned, and didn't know what to do. In
the end we agreed to donate the money to a charity[4] in which one of
the punters was active. I must admit I didn't think to ask my
co-leaders whether they wanted to keep the dosh for themselves.
[3] Although on one trip this year the group told me to buy a beer or
three with the chf5 deposit from each of their lift passes, a grand
total of 40 francs. I kept it that time.
[4]Yorkshire Air Ambulance. I was sympathetic to this, having been
airlifted to hospital myself 18 months earlier, although the need for
it to be supported by a charity is frankly criminal in itself.

 

I doubt if anyone but Hog, and possibly the employees themselves, use
the number of hours that he has in the calculation.

 

Yes yes you pedant! 200 hours per month of course ;o)

Even Cane wouldn't make them work 200 per week...... Or would he.

 

<spits>

<measures>

 

But the law was recently tweaked to prevent this very thing.

 

Cor it isn't liberal it's just plain decency shirly.