娛樂行業對國家最低工資的立場

英國娛樂行業對國家最低工資的立場出現在本週的《星期日電訊報》的信件專欄中，由Southend-on-Sea的菲利普·米勒（Philip Miller）撰寫。

The Sunday Telegraph's letters column this week featured an engaging treatise on the UK amusement industry's stance on the national minimum wage, penned by Southend-on-Sea's Philip Miller.

本週的《星期日電報》的信件專欄上有一篇引人入勝的娛樂行業論文，這是由Southend-on-Sea的菲利普·米勒（Philip Miller）撰寫的國家最低工資的立場。

Miller, chairman of the Stockvale Group, which employs 1,200 people during the summer on attractions such as Adventure Island and Sea Life Adventure, was prompted to write in, weaving together concerns over the national minimum wage.

Stockvale集團董事長米勒（Miller）在夏季在冒險島和海洋生物冒險等景點上僱用了1200名員工，他被提示寫信，將對國家最低工資的擔憂編織在一起。

He began by noting the phrase's suggestiveness, hinting that employers are choosing to pay the bare minimum, while in fact the rate is set by the government and enforced by law. This misconception unfairly undermines businesses like his own, which strive to offer good jobs, career pathways and a positive working environment.

他首先指出了這句話的啟示性，暗示雇主選擇支付最低限度，而實際上，該費率是由政府設定的，並由法律執行。這種誤解不公平地破壞了他自己的企業，該企業努力提供好工作，職業道路和積極的工作環境。

For employees, Miller argued, the term 'minimum' often feels demeaning, implying low value, even when hourly rates now rival many graduate starting salaries. At a time when they need to engage and motivate younger workers in particular, such language risks fostering resentment and discouragement.

米勒認為，對於員工而言，“最低”一詞通常會貶低，即使每小時的利率現在與許多研究生的薪水相媲美，也意味著價值較低。在他們需要參與並尤其激勵年輕工人的時候，這種語言可能會促進怨恨和沮喪。

The minimum wage, he contended, also distorts pay structures, shrinking the gap between front-line roles and management, making promotion and responsibility less attractive. Sharp rises in the minimum wage, while politically popular, bring unintended consequences. Most businesses cannot absorb these costs without reducing working hours or cutting jobs altogether.

他認為，最低工資也扭曲了工資結構，縮小了前線角色和管理之間的差距，從而使晉升和責任降低了吸引力。夏普的最低工資雖然在政治上流行，但帶來了意想不到的後果。大多數企業在不減少工作時間或完全削減工作的情況下無法吸收這些成本。

As a result, we see employees taking home less overall pay - and increasingly needing second or even third jobs to compensate. For young people, the entry level jobs that once offered a vital first step into work are becoming harder to find and to keep, threatening the creation of a 'lost generation.'

結果，我們看到員工將回家的總薪水降低 - 越來越需要第二甚至第三個工作來補償。對於年輕人來說，曾經提供至關重要的第一步的入門級工作變得越來越難找到和保留，威脅著創造“丟失的一代”。

A simple change of terminology could help. Rebranding the national minimum wage as the government set wage would more accurately reflect its source and remove the damaging connotations. This shift would cost nothing yet it could foster a fairer and more constructive national conversation about pay, employment and the role of business in society.

術語的簡單更改可能會有所幫助。將全國最低工資重新命名為政府設定的工資將更準確地反映其來源並消除破壞性的含義。這種轉變將不花任何花費，但它可以促進有關薪酬，就業和企業在社會中的作用的更公平，更具建設性的對話。