3rd March 2017 - the Wages of Sin

Thought for the day:" Telling a demolition expert how to do his job is destructive criticism."

As we come towards the end of the financial year - I found an old record form my early days. this is a sheet from 1974 - showing the then established rates of pay which were approximately the same a year later as I joined. It was before the Edmund Davies Enquiry that showed that the levels of pay in the Police Service (sorry Force in those days) were too low, though we did lose the boot allowance!..

A colleague pointed out the interesting historical fact that the sheet is entitled PAY for MEN and WOMEN - despite the fact that equal pay legislation had been in place for 4 years at that time.

 I had a look to find what the average wages were at the time and found some interesting thoughts.

"I worked as a machine attendant in the Fry's chocolate factory during the summer vac of 1976, so an unskilled labourer. On a three shift pattern I earned £60 per week = about £3120 per year. Working days I would have earned £48 per week = £2500 per year." - Unskilled labour was considerably more than a starting constable.

I found some comparitive wage scales in real terms ( to 2004 )

Of course - as it has always been an argument - the teacher's scales at the time are shown here...

And so I looked for today's scales - source Police Federation

And look at teachers:

Personally I am glad that I do neither these days - I enjoyed my career and the thirty years I put in and hope to enjoy my pension for a few years to come ...

In fact - I will lift a glass - (though my waist size inflation means that I am having to cut down a little at the moment)