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Evening Herald Sellers Being Exploted

squitely

My friend sold the Evening Herald on the street when he first came to Ireland on his 1 year student visa from Brazil.

I would have assumed that these sellers were receiving minimum wage, but apparently all they get is commission - 60 cent per paper sold.

My friend earned like 2 or 3 euro per hour the couple of days he did it.

He says that the majority of the people who sell them just try it for a week or so when they first arrive and are looking for other jobs.

Also in Brazil 2 or 3 euros per hour would not be so terrible, so he didn't really feel that bad about it, even when he did later find out about the minimum wage.

I however think that it is wrong to treat people like this, especially when they are guests in our country. He says that he knows other people who were given bad spots and ended up making even less money than he did. The good spots where it is possible to make decent money are taken by more long term sellers. Even these good spots might only make 4 or 5 euros per hour all the same.

To add insult to injury he says that the supervisors were pig ignorant.

I would love to know what you think.

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FlutterinBantam

squitely wrote: »

You don't get to choose your spot. You can't move around.

Nobody sells 30 or 40 papers in the rush, The rush might be 10 papers, the rest of the time you sell maybe 3 per hour.

The Evening Herald don't just use the sellers to sell papers, they also function as walking billboards.

It doesn't matter if you are choosing to work there because there is nothing else available. It's still not right or fair for anyone to work for that amount.

I'm surprised at the cavalier response here to people earning 2 euro per hour.

I hope you don't mind me saying it ,are you for real.?

This is the attitude which has this country the way it is(well almost)

You expect the minimum wage to waltz around a crossroads and not give a fcuk about whether you sell papers or not?

How in the name of jaysus could a company afford that?

If they don't like it, don't do it.

Would you stop that auld palaver, and find a real issue to bitch about.

never heard anything like that rubish.

RussellTuring

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

I hope you don't mind me saying it ,are you for real.?

This is the attitude which has this country the way it is(well almost)

You expect the minimum wage to waltz around a crossroads and not give a fcuk about whether you sell papers or not?

How in the name of jaysus could a company afford that?

If they don't like it, don't do it.

Would you stop that auld palaver, and find a real issue to bitch about.

never heard anything like that rubish.

The same could be said of people on any minimum wage job. Why not have everyone employed to work in a shop work on commission only? What the person at the sale end has little to do with whether or not someone buys the newspaper in the end. The fact that they are there at all is a far more important factor than their innate marketing skills. Your argument is invalid.

uck51js9zml2yt

They are breaking the law by jaywalking. were are the gardai putting a stop to this nonsense?

triple-M

Emilee Full Windbag wrote: »

They are breaking the law by jaywalking. were are the gardai putting a stop to this nonsense?

Jay walking is not a crime in Ireland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Trq2tC5kQ

uck51js9zml2yt

triple-M wrote: »

Emilee Full Windbag wrote: »

They are breaking the law by jaywalking. were are the gardai putting a stop to this nonsense?

Jay walking is not a crime in Ireland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Trq2tC5kQ

there is provision that a pedestrian shall not be a danger on the road.
cant copy it on the phone. there is a link to a 2008 thread yo the relevant section of law.

Absurdum

squitely wrote: »

his 1 year student visa from Brazil....

....I however think that it is wrong to treat people like this, especially when they are guests in our country.

we're doing him a favour

stfu or go somewhere else

4leto

Evening Herald Sellers Being Exploted

This is a headline I would expect to see on The Herald. Its not exactly The Daily Planet.

When I done my emigration stint, I did work in jobs in other places below their min wage. Its part and parcel with that experience.

FlutterinBantam

RussellTuring wrote: »

The same could be said of people on any minimum wage job. Why not have everyone employed to work in a shop work on commission only? What the person at the sale end has little to do with whether or not someone buys the newspaper in the end. The fact that they are there at all is a far more important factor than their innate marketing skills. Your argument is invalid.

No mate, yours is .

If you can't see that ,I'm not going to bother explaining it to you.

James T Kirk

Hank_Jones wrote: »

If only to be the exploiter and not the exploited.

Wouldn't life be grand.

So you'd be the "beggar on horseback, kicking the beggar on foot"? Nice.

"THIS IS THE BOOK POLICE!

PUT DOWN THE NIETZSCHE/AYN RAND STUFF, AND STEP OUT OF THE LIBRARY."

cardwizzard

Does the Herald cost €1? And they receive 60c from this. Hardly exploitation now is it.

James T Kirk

And the Herald's Pat Stacy, Con Houlihan and George Byrne are are very fine journalists in their field btw. Pat Stacy, in particular, slays TV bull**** every night. He's kinda like Ireland's Charlie Brooker.

Seriously.

Sergeant

James T Kirk wrote: »

And the Herald's Pat Stacy, Con Houlihan and George Byrne are are very fine journalists in their field btw. Pat Stacy, in particular, slays TV bull**** every night. He's kinda like Ireland's Charlie Brooker.

Seriously.

Con Houlihan is a national treasure. Amazing use of language.

dvpower

OP, if your friend was making €2-3 per hour and making 60c per sale, then he was selling 4-5 papers an hour.

How much would you expect someone to get paid for selling 4-5 papers?

Phill Ewinn

Question: how do these people afford to live in Dublin on €5 an hour. The place is expensive. I'm calling shenanagans on this whole deal. I doubt they are doing this without some kind of subsidy from back home, or something.

Cianos

Phill Ewinn wrote: »

Question: how do these people afford to live in Dublin on €5 an hour. The place is expensive. I'm calling shenanagans on this whole deal. I doubt they are doing this without some kind of subsidy from back home, or something.

Cheap accommodation shared between a large number of people. It's pretty common for immigrants to have 2-3 in a room that would usually just be for one person. Cooking big meals shared between everyone reduces costs then by quite a bit.

RussellTuring

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

No mate, yours is .

If you can't see that ,I'm not going to bother explaining it to you.

That's utter nonsense. You won't explain it to me because I don't understand? In other words: "if you don't know, I'm not telling you". Nothing but a cop-out for someone with no argument.

cardwizzard wrote: »

Does the Herald cost €1? And they receive 60c from this. Hardly exploitation now is it.

The newspaper would make much of its money from advertising, like most others. They usually make a loss on the actual sales.

FlutterinBantam

RussellTuring wrote: »

That's utter nonsense. You won't explain it to me because I don't understand? In other words: "if you don't know, I'm not telling you". Nothing but a cop-out for someone with no argument.

The newspaper would make much of its money from advertising, like most others. They usually make a loss on the actual sales.

My golden bollox man.

Who in their right mind would pay dudes the min. wage to sell papers at a crossroads.

You are letting yourself down, my friend.

C'mon.

RussellTuring

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

My golden bollox man.

Who in their right mind would pay dudes the min. wage to sell papers at a crossroads.

You are letting yourself down, my friend.

C'mon.

Are you trying to wind me up? If you don't want to pay people the minimum wage for a job, that doesn't give you the right to pay them peanuts.

Mike 1972

cardwizzard wrote: »

Does the Herald cost €1? And they receive 60c from this. Hardly exploitation now is it.

In that case perhaps the people being exploited are the buyers although its their own fault really.

Celly Smunt

well if he was a good seller he could end up minted also.

face1990

Meh.
I sold charity scratchcards for a while. I got a euro for each one I sold (and nobody except old ladies would willingly buy one), and averaged about 2-3 per hour. Most days I didn't make enough to cover my bus fare and lunch, so I quit after a few days.

**** jobs exist and always will, and it's not just immigrants doing them.

gigino

squitely wrote: »

I'm surprised at the cavalier response here to people earning 2 euro per hour.

I know lots of Irish self employed people not making 2 euro an hour and who are not entitled to the dole....despite having paid a fortune in tax all their lives. They cannot emigrate / sell up due to negative equity / families in school etc.

Your brazilian friend can f*** off back out of the country, nobody owes him a living here. He is lucky.

CoolHat

gigino wrote: »

I know lots of Irish self employed people not making 2 euro an hour and who are not entitled to the dole....despite having paid a fortune in tax all their lives. They cannot emigrate / sell up due to negative equity / families in school etc.

Your brazilian friend can f*** off back out of the country, nobody owes him a living here. He is lucky.

I've heard this countless times. Not to hijack the thread ( :pac: ) but how come people who run their own business cant claim social if it goes bellyup? ... as you say, they pay tax. So ... shouldnt they be entitled?

gigino

cardwizzard wrote: »

Does the Herald cost €1? And they receive 60c from this. Hardly exploitation now is it.

I bet they do not get 60 cents for selling a paper in their own country. If theyt do not like it here, they can go back home, and let Irish people have the job of selling the paper in a shop + supporting the real economy - paying taxes + rates etc.

gigino

CoolHat wrote: »

how come people who run their own business cant claim social if it goes bellyup? ...

self employed people are means tested - and if they have a bit of property or a partner who works or some savings for a rainy day / retirement after say 20 or 30 years hard work ...

blackwhite

CoolHat wrote: »

how come people who run their own business cant claim social if it goes bellyup? ... as you say, they pay tax. So ... shouldnt they be entitled?

Because the Government has no interest in protecting the self-employed.
If they are a success and build a business which creates jobs for others then the Government will quite happily tax them to oblivion, and do their best to cripple any enterprise with red tape.

Ireland is possibly the worst country in the world in terms of disincentivising entrepreneurship. Our personal bankruptcy laws mean that the punishment for starting a business that fails can be absolutely devestating, and to kick you when you're down the Government will remove the social welfare safety net from you as well.

denballs

well i think that selling a minimum of 15 papers an hour should be a requirement...and that,d be 9 euro an hour your earning....above minimum wage.

and....why would a brazillian come to ireland...honestly.........pfffft

Sergeant

blackwhite wrote: »

Because the Government has no interest in protecting the self-employed.
If they are a success and build a business which creates jobs for others then the Government will quite happily tax them to oblivion, and do their best to cripple any enterprise with red tape.

I don't think this is true, Ireland is an extraordinarily easy place to start a business, plenty of support structures, and the amount of red-tape is minimal. See some of our European neighbours for a lesson in mindless bureaucracy.

blackwhite wrote: »

Ireland is possibly the worst country in the world in terms of disincentivising entrepreneurship. Our personal bankruptcy laws mean that the punishment for starting a business that fails can be absolutely devestating, and to kick you when you're down the Government will remove the social welfare safety net from you as well.

Agree with the issue of personal bankruptcy, the law needs to change, and it is a huge barrier to starting a business. Some of the County Enterprise board schemes will pay half your previous salary if you start a business, but you're crippled if the thing doesn't work after that.

SHOVELLER

James T Kirk wrote: »

And the Herald's Pat Stacy, Con Houlihan and George Byrne are are very fine journalists in their field btw. Pat Stacy, in particular, slays TV bull**** every night. He's kinda like Ireland's Charlie Brooker.

Seriously.

Seriously??????

Stacy is rubbish but Byrne takes it a new level. He hates everything and almost everyone. I dont buy any of the Independent papers as they are negative rabble rousing, revisionist tabloid, almost west brit, drivel but I did see Byrne's pearler on saturday.

Apparently we should not have stayed neutral in WWII! Yes George and the whole island would have been flattened with millions salughtered just so you could feel better about wearing your poppy.

Con Houlihan is a legend and underappreciated.

mdoyler2

I think its readers are been exploited! complete trash.