Winter Fuel Allowance

[klondike]

As to the wages - I am not sure whether you are right. As far as I know the so-called minimum wage is lower in Germany than in the UK.

I don't know about now. Only how things were back in my days at Ford. I did have regular trips involving meeting various Europeans and Americans up to the mid 90s in my next job but those were far less personal and just involved hotels and the like rather than people I worked with regularly and who sometimes invited me to their homes in the evenings as well as eating out when I was on businees trips where they were.

The minimum wage here is what huge numbers of people have to live on usually topped up with the Universal Credit benefits because that's what they get paid rather than it being a security blanket. Most in hospitality and shops only get the minimum wage or a bit over.

Many find they are better off on benefits than working so that's what they do.
Here's what a Google query said.....

For Great Britain as a whole in November 2022, the "out-of-work" working age benefit caseload was around 5.3 million, or 12.9% of the working age population (Table 1). For the North West region the number of claimants was 719,569 or 15.5% of the working age population.

Unskilled and semi skilled wages in the UK are low. I believe they are kept low because the government encourages low skilled workers to be imported and that keeps wages depressed.

[JBR]

As to the wages - I am not sure whether you are right. As far as I know the so-called minimum wage is lower in Germany than in the UK. Moreover, our pensions depend on the years you worked and the amount you paid into the pension scheme (insurance). We have lots of senior widows for instance who are really poor and have to apply for income support.
Unfortunately our winters aren't warmer than yours and since the war in the Ukrainia the energy prices have increased considerably. We don't have oil and gas fields and overslept the development of renewable energies.

I'm afraid that at the moment we are all facing dark times.
However, I bet you that Germany will come out of it before and better than us.
It's all a matter of good leadership which, sadly, we are seriously lacking!

[klondike]

Germay did get caught with their pants down on energy. Too much net zero virtue signalling followed by the problems with Ukraine left their faces well egged.

[Diasi]

Our £500 WFA went in overnight.

[Scrumpy]

Hooray! Mine was paid into my bank.. I never did get a letter..

[klondike]

Mine didn't. I must be one of the unlucky 0.5% now

[Raven]

Mine didn't. I must be one of the unlucky 0.5% now

Me too. If as someone said, this goes by alphabetical order I should have had mine, Mike was the first (I think) to get his and I'm way nearer the start of the alphabet than he is.

[ansu]

At the moment Germans are facing a hard time as our government was cheating with regard to their budget - so let's wait and see what the next few months will bring us. 

[Alex]

At the moment Germans are facing a hard time as our government was cheating with regard to their budget - so let's wait and see what the next few months will bring us.

Seats for the AfD perhaps  ?

[ansu]

Hopefully - not. 
Here in Germany we say "if the cow is doing too well, she is going dancing on the ice".
Somewhere I read that just the followers and the voters of the AfD would be the people who would suffer most and have the most cutting corners. I suppose in future we all have to "bake smaller rolls".

[1955vintage]

Mine arrives tomorrow, off to the wine merchant.

[Alex]

Mine arrives tomorrow, off to the wine merchant.

Lucky you ,  mine will go towards my bloody heating bill !

[Scrumpy]

I had an email from my energy provider today ..
My 108 monthly payment will rise to 178 monthly to cover increase in usage..

[Cassandra]

I had an email from my energy provider today ..
My 108 monthly payment will rise to 178 monthly to cover increase in usage..

Yes I saw that Gas is up by 5% and electricity 11% on the new cap based on the kwh rate. Also the energy companies can charge what they like on the 'Standing Charges'. Yet the 'Headline' news from Hunt was only 5% as he never of course goes into detail on his cuts! Apparently on a day of 'good news' - amazing chicanery, they must be desperate!

[GrannyMac]

Ours hasn't arrived yet.  I keep in front with the energy bills, I like to be in credit at the start of winter.  Keeping a few hundred in the bank earns nothing, so I prefer to split all our bills like council tax, water, energy into 12 equal payments.