| The reality of low pay |
| group/org | |
| submitted by | Margaret |
58 year old Margaret left school at age 16 and has been in employment ever since. She has worked for the NHS for the past 36 years as an auxiliary nurse. Currently she works part-time doing 12 hour night shifts twice a week: “I’ve always worked in low paid jobs, but I always managed. Before Phillipa (children’s names are changed) I had started seeing a bit more money in my pocket. I was going out and enjoying myself but then Phillipa came along and I was back to square one, it’s been a struggle ever since”.
Phillipa is Margaret’s niece who came to live with her nine years ago at age seven. Four years ago she also took on kinship care responsibilities for Karen, her then three year old Grand-daughter. Margaret is a loving aunt and grandmother, when asked about her worst fear, there is no hesitation: “I worry about something happening to me, because the kids will end up in care”. But the financial impact of her new parenting role was almost immediate. She had to reduce her hours from full time to part-time in order to cope with her new responsibilities. As a result, she has found herself trapped into a life of poverty with no choice or control over her life.
“It’s a constant battle – always looking for bargains. I make all my own meals, mince mostly; sometimes I get so sick of looking at Mince. I grow my own vegetables, shop at all the cheap shops but you have to shop about. I am prudent with money and I usually afford a wee holiday, but not this year. It’s getting worse. I’ve always managed to balance the books but I know that won’t happen this year.” Her major concern at the moment is the cost of gas and electricity. She knows that the bills are going to double this year and she doesn’t know how she’ll cope.
She should be looking forward to retirement in two years but financial reality means it’s not an option for Margaret and she will have to keep working if she is to provide for her family. She wouldn’t mind working but she is beginning to find the 12 hour shifts very demanding because of various illnesses are taking their toll as she gets older.
If she was to retire she would have to rely on a small NHS pension which falls well short of the needs of her family: “I joined the NHS pension fund in 1989. I wish I hadn’t joined because it’s going to disqualify me from most government support, including council tax benefit.” She has looked at selling her home to try to reduce the upkeep costs of an old property but she is not eligible for state housing and three bedroom flats in the area cost more than she could get from selling up.
“I was raised up to stand on my own two feet, but there comes a time when you need help. That’s the system I believed in, that’s the system I paid into, but the support wasn’t there for me when I needed it.”
The only way out of poverty for Margaret is if Phillipa leaves home and Karen may, one day, be able to live with her father. If that happens she’ll be able to downsize to a cheaper one bedroom unit and perhaps be able to afford to retire. She knows that this is a long way off but “That’s the goal, that’s the hope. I can’t give up on that or else I’ll just have to give up.”