It is unlikely that top level wages will be frozen
voluntarily because the ones who have to vote on it are those who earn the big
bucks. Invariably cost cutting will be
done from the bottom up while executives jet around the world and stay in
luxury hotels.
A possible solution is to implement gap narrowing wage
strategies. There will then be no
cause for workers to strike for better wages.
This can be done by increasing the wages at the bottom by a
higher percentage than those at the top until there is an even percentage
difference between various grades of workers.
E.g.:
Top earners may get 10% wage increases, while middle earners
gets 15% wage increases, and bottom earners 20%. Pensions and unemployment funds need to be
adjusted accordingly.
By using inflationary rate wage and salary increases the top
earners can have their wages increased to the latest inflation figures. Middle earners by 1.5 times the inflation
rate and the bottom earners double the inflation rate until there is an even
percentage difference between various grades of workers.
Top jobs can be cut by degrading the post when the worker
leaves or retires.
The unemployment pay outs and government pensions need to be
adjusted to the same level as the average job entry level with a tax free
option to earn an extra income of double that amount.
Too often the government employers receive wage increases
while pensioners are left out or receive increases at a much lower percentage. It has become impossible to survive on a government
pension.
All pensioners who rely on a government pension should
receive their rates and taxes for free if they owned their home for ten years
or more before retirement.
It is unfair to force a pensioner out of the home they live
in. The money can be redeemed by the
social welfare department after the death of the pensioner by selling the home.
It should be the responsibility of the government to make
sure its citizens joins the workforce.
It is suggested that any age pensioner who feels that he can
no longer pay for his rates and taxes should be able to sign his house or farm
over to the municipality after his demise and that of his spouse and
handicapped dependents in exchange for free municipal services and rates as
long as they occupy the home. Should
he rent the house out and move to a nursing home the rates freeze should be
lifted but the house will become the property of the municipality after their
deaths.